LAHORE, May 24: The Punjab government proposes to abolish toll tax all over the province in the budget for 2005-06 and announce a number of measures to give relief to the salaried class, a senior leader of the ruling PML said on Tuesday. Chaudhry Zaheeruddin, who is secretary-general of the party and also minister for communications and works, said while talking to Dawn that no new tax would be imposed in the budget.

This will be the third budget to be given by the government of Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi.

Toll tax is charged on a number of roads and bridges.

A scheme to provide houses to all government employees at the time of their retirement will also be announced in the new budget, the minister said.

He said employees in grades 1 to 22 would have a percentage of their salaries deducted which would entitle them to a house when they completed their service.

Housing colonies will be launched at various district headquarters to provide houses to the retiring government employees.

Details of the scheme would be announced in the budget.

According to Zaheeruddin, housing schemes are also proposed to be set up in various districts to provide houses to the shelterless.

The ownership would be given through ballot and the allottees would have to pay only the land cost and development charges.

In view of the importance of industries for the uplift of a society, some industrial estates would also be set up in various cities.

A value-added city and a textile city would be set up at Faisalabad. The latter alone would provide jobs to about half a million people.

A cardiac centre is also proposed to be set up in Faisalabad at a cost of Rs1,000 million.

It is said that a tax-free budget will help the ruling party get support from the masses in the local elections to be held by the middle of August.

Similarly, the steps contemplated for the common man would make it impossible for the opposition parties to launch a movement against the government.