ISLAMABAD: Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah said Tuesday that the opposition would boycott parliamentary proceedings on account of taxes levied on more than 285 items by the federal government.

Speaking to media representatives outside the National Assembly, the opposition leader lamented that on directives issued by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the government had increased General Sales Tax (GST) on over 285 items. He said the government should not let citizens suffer due to its own incompetence.

Shah also criticised the government for taking important decisions without any form of debate or approval in the Parliament.

“We will organise protests every day in order to protest the government which has been ignoring the Parliament’s authority while taking decisions,” he said.

The opposition leader said they were rejecting the mini budget being pushed by the government, adding that budgetary measures were being undertaken several times a year as opposed to only once.

Earlier on Monday, the federal government introduced major budgetary measures by taxing more than 285 importable items, including furnace oil used in power generation, and increasing tax rates on all services following an agreement with the IMF.

The decisions about the ‘mini budget’ were taken at a meeting of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet led by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar on Monday.

Take a look: Govt unveils big revenue measures in ‘mini budget’