Not even Rs60 crore is collected under amnesty scheme: Shahid Khaqan
He further said that a gap between income and expenditures has been raised by over 50 percent.
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Former premier Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, in his address to a session of the National Assembly (NA) on the proposed budget on Saturday, strongly criticised the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led federal government over what the opposition believes ineffective economic policies of the government.
“The prime minister has spoken on the amnesty scheme three times but not even Rs60 crore is collected…and now for collecting Rs1,500 billion tax, prices of everything [including essential commodities] will be increased,” he said.
Regarding the ongoing trials of politicians in corruption cases, Khaqan said that currently four members of the parliament were detained; however, production orders of only two of them were issued.
“The government is saying that inflation would increase to 13 percent, and a year ago, country’s growth rate was 6 percent,” he added.
The former premier further said that a gap between income and expenditures has been raised by over 50 percent.
“Taxes wouldn’t have increased if interest rates weren’t surged…The government works on a total of Rs400 billion, whereas in other countries that amount is spent to cover expensed of only one department,” he went on to say.
“Miftah Ismael had presented a tax reforms package, and the whole world acknowledged [its effectively]…We [PML-N’s government] had set five slabs under tax reforms, whereas the incumbent government has raised prices of gas, electricity and water,” he stated.
“It is said that our government took massive loans, and a commission has also been formed [to probe it], but I can tell you today the outcome of the report of that commission,” he further said, adding that an impression is being given that [previous governments] had plundered resources [of the state].
“What will happen in five years, if the situation has worsened to such an extent within just eight months?” he asked.
