ISLAMABAD: The PML-N led federal government was trying to paint a rosy picture of the economy in the finance bill, but in reality, the country was trapped under the burden of inflation, heavy taxation, unemployment and frustration, PTI parliamentary leader Barrister Syed Ali Zafar told the Senate on Monday.

Taking part in the budget debate, the PTI leader said: “Every budget has a growth strategy, which is not visible in the present one”, adding that correct use of resources was required as part of the strategy to set the country’s economy in the right direction.

Claiming that the government was out of ideas, Senator Zafar said that his party PTI wouldn’t vote for this budget not only because of injustice against Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi but also because this budget was a roadmap towards destruction.

Raising objections over the budget, the PTI lawmaker said that it lacked any strategy for increasing employment.

Ali Zafar says budget wages ‘war on pensioners’

He said the government predicted a GDP growth of 4.2 percent, which is totally unrealistic. “How can this be achieved when the government is taxing everything from petrol to e-commerce and even pensions?” he questioned.

He said that the powers of arrest were being given to the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) through the finance bill, which has created an atmosphere of fear among the business community. “It is against the policy of ease of doing business.” He further said that taxing solar panels at the rate of 18pc was not a climate policy, but anti-climate policy.

He also termed this budget “a war against pensioners”, who have also been taxed, besides the farmers, e-business owners, small businesses, and the entire middle class.

PPP Senator Syed Masroor Ahsan pointed out that the federal government had allocated very meagre amount for the development schemes of Sindh, especially Karachi. He said that the government has earmarked only Rs 15billion out of the total proposed funds of Rs400bn for the construction of the Hyderabad-Sukkur motorway.

The senator also opposed the proposed 18pc tax on solar panels and criticised the government’s proposal to give arrest powers to FBR in tax theft cases.

Published in Dawn, June 17th, 2025