Finance Minister Asad Umar on Tuesday said that the government was considering launching a new tax amnesty scheme, which he said would allow assets within Pakistan as well as abroad to be declared.
“It’s possible that we announce the new amnesty scheme before the new budget,” said the finance minister in a brief chat with media personnel in Islamabad. “The scheme has not been finalised yet. We are still seeking advice on the matter.”
Umar also shared his views on the political future of fellow PTI leader Jahangir Tareen, who stands disqualified from holding a public office but as Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi recently objected, still attends cabinet meetings.
“The Supreme Court has not barred Jahangir Tareen from breathing,” Umar said as he took a contrasting stance to that of Qureshi’s. “The prime minister can call whomsoever he wishes to cabinet meetings. Jahangir Tareen only sits in the meetings with the prime minister’s permission.”
Moreover, the finance minister distanced his ministry from the recent hike in the prices of petroleum products, saying that price determination is the prerogative of Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA).
“A tax of Rs23.30 is being charged on petrol. The base price of petrol is Rs75.57 and the people are being charged Rs98.89. The prices are determined by OGRA,” he said.
Umar recalled that the prime minister had rejected the finance ministry’s recommendations regarding petrol prices many times, adding that OGRA should reserve the right to determine prices after approval from the parliament.