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PPP-SB calls for fresh polls

LAHORE

PPP (Shaheed Bhutto) leader Dr Mubashir Hasan has called for the dissolution of the National Assembly and fresh elections, saying the NA had lost its right to continue as the legislature under the Constitution after passing the annual budget 2009-10 through consensus.

In a press conference on Thursday, Dr Mubashir released PPP (SB) Chairperson Ghinwa Bhutto’s statement to media. 

The statement said the National Assembly through passing the budget 2009-10 has given a reprieve of Rs 2,000-2,500 billion to the rich and affluent and robed Rs 600 billion from the poor. 

He alleged that the government had wantonly violated the article (3) of the Constitution which lays down that the State would ensure elimination of all forms of exploitation. 

He said the budget was grossly unjust to the poor and middle classes of Pakistan. He claimed that the National Assembly passed the budget in a cavalier manner after a debate of just nine days excluding holidays. 

Democrat countries debate budget for months, he said and added that the assembly provided no opportunity to the people to present their views and totally disregarded views in the media that the budget was unjust to the poor. 

He said the budget made the wealthy and affluent Pakistanis including businessmen, traders, landlords and senior officers which contributed less than five per cent to the governmental and awarded them the benefits of ninety per cent. 

It makes the poor pay exorbitant sales tax of 16 per cent, in fact 45 per cent on the finished imported goods after mandatory value addition and income tax collects at source at the time to purchase essential commodities. 

Dr Mubashir Hasan claimed that the annual budget 2009-10 let the wealthy get away by not paying any wealth tax (potential Rs 400 billion), no tax on their agriculture income and holdings (potential Rs 200 billion), no tax on their world income (potential Rs 800-950 billion), no gift t axes (potential Rs 50-60 billion) no tax on billion of rupees made on daily basis in speculative transactions in real estate and shares (RS 800 billion loss of revenue on this account was estimated in 2006-07), no tax on undocumented economy and benami transactions (potential Rs 200-300 billion), no tax on the evasions of Multi National Companies (MNCs) through abusive transfer pricing mechanism (potential Rs 200 billion), no tax on money smuggled abroad by unfair legal and illegal means and brought into Pakistan as foreign exchange (estimated potential Rs 150 billion). 

He claimed that if the aforementioned taxes had been levied the revenue potential for the coming fiscal year (2009-10) would have been amounted to about Rs 3000-4000 billion, an increase of Rs 2,000-2,500 billion over what the government aimed at mobilizing from national resources. 

He alleged that the National Assembly after passing the budget with consensus had violated articles 3 and 38 of the Constitution by failing to take necessary measures to prevent the concentration of wealth in a few hands, by not providing all citizens facilities for work and adequate livelihood and by not taking such measures as will provide them with the basic necessities of life. He said the people of Pakistan were the most heavily taxed people in Asia.