Daily Times

Loud reservations from the whole lot did little to convince the government to reconsider at least some of the controversial bill, which was passed by the house and accorded presidential assent over the weekend.

A budget that would go on to be nothing short of a death sentence for the taxed as they get forced to pay an even heavier burden for the whims of the untaxed was instantaneously followed by an amendment giving lawmakers an unexplainable raise in the perks. Was it that necessary for the parliamentarians to win a higher travel allowance and never-ending gravy train for air travel that they did not bother to discuss the ramifications on the common man?

This heart-wrenching bonanza that prioritizes the privileged over the survival of the salaried class would go down as yet another exercise of hollow lip service. Of course, the budget could have won a great deal of goodwill, had the federal finance minister backed his no-nonsense reform-heralding with some serious belt-tightening on his end. Till now, we have only heard about “plans” against bloated cabinets and the willingness to merge ministries. If the government wishes to be trusted with its agenda to deal with the treasury-eating white elephants, it first needs to show some responsibility in its own house. For how long can the authorities expect those under the tax net to set off its limited scope?

Unless a determined resolve is shown to spell a proverbial end to the slight pat on the wrist for non-filers, Islamabad can’t do much to escape criticism for being completely out of touch with the reality of the situation. Instead of focusing on providing relief to the citizens who are struggling to make ends meet, the budget, as of now, seems to be designed to squeeze every last penny out of the already taxed population, especially in the light of new taxes announced five seconds before the deadline. The same rings true for establishing transparency regarding the development expenditure. PM Sharif, then leading the PDM-led government, had himself witnessed the gaping holes between unrealistic allocations and the on-ground projects (Rs 975 billion as opposed to the actual Rs 400 billion). Nevertheless, it is much easier to follow the past (no matter how preposterous; no matter how damaging) than to find a new, more difficult path. *