Senate proposes 70 amendments in budget

ISLAMABAD: The Upper House of Parliament Senate has proposed seventy amendments in the upcoming fiscal year’s budget proposals which are under discussion in the National Assembly.

The same will be laid in the House today (Thursday) and likely to be consigned to the National Assembly for consideration on Monday. Chairman Standing Committee on Finance Senator Saleem Mandviwalla will put up the amendments in the House.

Well-placed sources told The News that recommendations are covering suggestions articulated by the members of all groups including the major opposition PTI. The PTI led by Leader of Opposition Dr Wasim Shehzad took part in the debate on the budget extensively and most of the time he criticised the budget proposals hard-heartedly.

Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani had to intervene during twelve-day debate of budget proposals in the speeches of the PTI leaders since they became disruptive in expressing their views. The Senate has fourteen days to discuss and tabulate its recommendations in the proposals. The Upper House has no say in passage or blocking of budget and lacks any power to dictate its recommendations for making part of the budget proposals.

Saleem Mandviwalla, who is heading the standing committee on the Finance, has maintained that proposals of the budge presented by Dr Miftah Ismail were balanced and didn’t leave much space to take on it.

In a brief chat with this scribe on Wednesday he reminded that for the first time the budget proposals were without indirect taxations and gave due attention to the direct taxation which was the needed to ward off burden on the common man since long.

The recommendations framed by the Upper House are encompassing sales tax, income tax, customs and significant areas of taxations.

The members of Senate also held consultations with traders, industrialists and business community before giving final shape to their suggestions.

Interestingly the Senate presented 45 recommendations in last year’s budget and all the recommendations were made part of the budget proposals by then government.