Daily Times

Sir: The finance minister’s budget speech to the National Assembly was very long. Who was he trying to convince that the present budget will change the country’s economy, although it does not envisage drastic reforms in the taxation and collection systems or reducing government expenditure on non-productive projects?

For instance, what is the justification for spending billions of rupees on the offices of the president and the prime minister, their residences, and their domestic and foreign trips, with security on top?

We have millions living below the poverty line and millions of children are not attending school. A large section of the population does not have clean drinking water. The funds should, instead, be spent on education and the development of human resources.The government is spending on motorways and plans high-speed trains, but how many will use them? This budget is typical for benefitting businessmen, and not the have-nots. It’s hard to believe that even the targets set by the finance minister will be achieved.

Engr S T Hussain

Lahore