KARACHI, March 22: Various professional bodies and political parties have criticized the imposition of a 15 per cent General Sales Tax on medicines and demanded its immediate withdrawal.
They said the country was in the grip of economic recession that had adversely affected the people’s purchasing power, and demanded that the GST be abolished as it would severely affect everybody, particularly the poor, who would not be able even to afford proper medical aid.
Expressing concern at the levy of GST on medicines, the Pakistan Medical Association said it seemed that the ministry of health was totally out of touch with the realities of life and decisions were being taken without consulting experts and realizing the problems being faced by the poor in general and patients in particular.
In a statement issued by PMA secretary-general Shershah Syed, the PMA said before collecting money through this method, for what the government claimed health care of the people in future, the government first should set its corruption-infested house in order.
“Incompetent government functionaries have already messed with the available funds and they, along with parasite healthcare providers, will embezzle the money raised by the GST also,” he added.
The College of Family Medicines Pakistan, criticizing the levy and calling for its immediate withdrawal, said even in developed countries such tax was not levied on medicines, particularly the life-saving ones.
Aziz Tank and Shariatullah Siddiqui of the College said the government took the decision on the advice of its “incompetent” advisers that would deprive the people of such basic necessaries as medicines.
MUTTAHIDA: The chief of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Altaf Husain, criticized the government’s decision to impose a 15 per cent GST on medicines and described it as an anti-people step.
In a statement from London on Friday, he said instead of ensuring medicines for free or on reduced rates to the people, as was the practice in other states, the government had taken an opposite step and imposed a heavy tax on medicines which would badly affect the poor, who comprised the majority of the country.
He said the imposition of GST and other taxes would push up medicine prices by 27-30 per cent, thus making it go beyond the reach of the common man. This new tax was another gift from the rulers to the poor masses who were already groaning under the burden of so many taxes, inflation and the shrinking purchasing power of the rupee, he added.
He demanded of President Pervez Musharraf to withdraw the GST on medicines.
PPP: The Pakistan People’s Party condemned the imposition of GST and said the military regime, which came into being under the “doctrine of necessity,” had no business to take such drastic steps that would affect the people on a long-term basis.
PPP spokesman Munawwar Suharwardy rejected the government’s claim that prices of medicines would increase only by 7-8 per cent due to the imposition of GST.
He said due to inflation and defective government policies medicine prices had increased by 20-25 per cent in the past couple of years, and with this levy, the prices would skyrocket and go beyond the reach of the common man.
He said at present too huge amount was spent to provide drugs in government hospitals, but the majority of the people were not able to get life-saving drugs and even common ones there.
PTI: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf criticized the imposition of GST and said it would adversely affect all people, particularly those belonging to the low-income group and the salaried class.
PTI Secretary-General Mairaj Mohammed Khan said the government had made tall claims while launching its “Poverty-alleviation Programme,” but its policies were inflicting greater hardships on the masses.