ISLAMABAD (Web Desk)- Finance Minister Ishaq Dar clarified that the new taxes have been imposed on the affluent class and not the poor.
“It is a developmental and poor-friendly budget which would strengthen our national economy,” he said while rejecting claims that the new budget is a ‘budget for the rich.’
Addressing a post-budget press conference in Islamabad Saturday, Dar said the government has not increased prices of ghee, sugar, milk, pulses, edible oil, furnace oil and high speed diesel.
He said more than thirty thousand solar tube wells and packages for widows are government s steps to support poor people and BISP, Baitulmal, PM Youth Loan Scheme, Income Tax relief are steps that also show this budget is not for rich.
To a question, he said the government has not withdrawn Rs6.5 billion subsidy on wheat for the people of Gilgit-Baltistan.
Ishaq Dar said that government has given incentives to government employees increasing their pay and pension by 7.5 percent.
He said that government has also announced to merge two ad-hoc relief allowances in the basic pay scales and to reduce income tax on their salaries from five to two percent.
The Minister said the government has allocated 102 billion rupees for Benazir Income Support Programme to help the poor and destitute.
He said duties of two types have been merged on mobile phones, as a result of which cell phones have in fact become cheaper.
