KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Thursday assured the Sindh Assembly that new taxation will not hurt the poor while opposition wanted the failing power distribution companies should be sent packing.
In concluding speech during seventh sitting for the budget 2024-25 debate, Murad told the house that his government is growing its tax net but poor will not see any impacts, pledging to complete the maximum number of uplift projects next fiscal year.
Besides, paying compassions of Rs1 million to families of each citizen, who was killed in armed robberies in street crimes, he said that the government is also set to solve all other issues, which Karachi is grappled for a long-run including water problem.
Expressing affection for the metropolis, he said that “Karachi is also my city and its development is dearer to me.” The government intends to expand its tax base, he said that any private schools charging over Rs500,000 annually will come under the taxation radar.
Taxes, he said, collected from the highly-charging academia will be transferred to the Sindh Education Department to invest in the government-run schools. Similarly, he said that expensive hospitals, which charge bed fee up to Rs25000 a day and doctors with over Rs3000 fee will pay the tax.
The Jinnah Hospital, he said, will soon see a third cyber knife functional by this October, adding that the government’s children hospital in Korangi provides better services than those in the private sector. The government has also opened robotic surgery in the SIUT, which treats patients from countrywide.
The chief minister claimed that his government poured in funds to spread out a web of roads across the province, saying that he has also sought a custody of Lyari Express from the federal government to run heavy traffic. He said that his government has also done projects in the sports sector with setting up 22 youth development centers.
He told the assembly that the government has completed some 3580 uplift projects over the past five years, complaining that the federal rule between 2018 and 2022 did not assign a single development scheme to Sindh.
The NHA is building road infrastructure across the country, except his province, he said that the federal government has yet to pay up to Rs55 billion to Sindh. He also sought the opposition help for Karachi development, announcing to complete the Hub canal project within a year.
He also pledged that his government will complete the K4 water project. On guarding the environment, Murad said that Sindh leads it with $22 million spending. He also announced to develop the world’s largest housing scheme.
For Karachi, he said over 100 MGD water supply will be made in a year. The opposition did not table any cut motions to force the government to reduce the budget allocations. However, the house voted to a supplementary budget of Rs213.164 billion.
Earlier, Ali Khurshidi, the opposition leader resumed his budget speech in the house, which he had left off the other, asking the government to seek a solution to the failing power distribution companies for their long-hours outages.
He said that these companies should leave Sindh if they cannot provide electricity to the consumers. He spelled out water scarcity as the “biggest” problem for Karachi. He said that city receives only 400 MGD water while it needs 1,200 MGD. The public want a solution to their problems, he added.
He also lashed out at K-Electric for its collective punishment system, which it uses by carrying out power cuts indiscriminately against all consumers, even those paying them timely bills. He also questioned about the development of Karachi circular railways.
He asked the government for its taxation, saying that even taxes are piling up but the public are unable to receive gas, water and other amenities. He also highlighted issues in education, health and land grabbing in the city. The house is set to vote on Sindh Finance Bill on Friday to pass the budget as well.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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