ISLAMABAD: Lawmakers at the Upper House on Thursday demanded equal status for the Senate on a par with the National Assembly in budget-related legislation.
“The government is advised to implement the resolutions with regard to role of the Senate in the Finance Bill, especially the PSDP, in letter and spirit. We will also deliberate on the matter in the Business Advisory Committee.”
The issue was raised by Senate opposition leader Sherry Rehman, who called for changes to strengthen the foundations of the Senate. “The Senate of Pakistan must have powers to vote for the National Assembly’s Money Bill and not just giving recommendations. The Money Bill is parliament’s most important piece of legislation. It is Pakistan’s roadmap for the year. Given that the Senate represents the crucial balance of power between the province and federation, the Upper House must be allowed to vote on it in the larger interests of the country.”
She added, “Last year, we had unanimously passed a resolution in the Senate, which recommended the government to make necessary amendments to constitution to empower the Senate to block the Money Bill, including the Finance Bill. The Senate of Pakistan had called for these changes as well, but nothing was achieved.”
Several other senators belonging to the ruling and opposition parties supported the stance and said the Senate’s role was just like a debating club. “If we have no role in budget making then what is the purpose of sitting here,” said PPP Senator Rehman Malik.
JI Senator Mushtaq Ahmad said that due imbalance of power had resulted in the creation of Bangladesh. “Why had we not learnt a lesson from such a big mistake,” he questioned.
Those who spoke on the occasion include Usman Khan Kakar, Anwarul Haq Kakar, Farooq H Naek, Abdul Qayyum, Sikandar Mandhro, Sassui Palijo, Talha Mehmood, Mir Kabeer Shahi, Imamudin Shouqeen, and Mohsin Aziz.
Winding up the budget debate in the Senate, Minister of State for Finance Rana Muhammad Afzal said provinces were getting 56% extra funds under the new mechanism. He said provinces were also collecting a good amount from provincial taxes and Sindh was taking the lead in this regard. Afzal said PSDP of provinces had gone up three times high. He said inflation remained 3.8 this year as compared to 11 to 17 percent in the past.
The minister said exports were rebounding after facing many challenges in recent years. The per capita income had increased from Rs 129,000 to 180,000 due to what he described as prudent income policies of the government. He said industry, agriculture and service sectors had been showing a tremendous growth during the last five years. He stressed the need to consolidate positive impacts of CPEC in future.
The minister went on to say that tax exemptions announced in the budget would cost Rs 80 billion to the government, which would be compensated from the higher tax collection of Rs four trillion. He said reduced taxes would be an incentive to business community. Regarding amnesty scheme, he said that the major beneficiaries of the scheme were ordinary Pakistanis, who had either invested in real estate sector or went abroad due to a number of problems they faced in the country.
Published in Daily Times, May 11th 2018.
