KARACHI - Like previous year, the MQM is likely to present its proposals for the upcoming annual budget of Sindh for next fiscal year 2014-15 with a demand of imposing a levy on all taxable sectors and individuals to increase revenue generation.
MQM’s parliamentary leader in Sindh Assembly has already confirmed to the media that his party will unveil its proposals for the provincial budget of next fiscal year.
As a demanded in last shadow budget, the MQM is likely to propose the Sindh government to merge the Board of Revenue (BoR) and Sindh Revenue Board (SRB) under the overall supervision of provincial finance department, besides calling for lowering the tax-rate of GST on services from existing 17 to 18 per cent to 13 per cent for all sectors.
It may be noted that the MQM, in its last budget proposals, had proposed that Sindh Commercial Bank should be converted into a micro credit bank with at least 103 branches at taluka headquarter level to cater the needs of poor business persons, craftsmen and farmers.
It is expected the MQM will likely to repeat the proposals and hand over it to Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah and Advisor for Finance Murad Ali Shah before presenting in the next annual budget of Sindh province which is scheduled to be presented on June 12 or 13.
Sardar has been claiming that their budget proposals are in line with MQM leader Altaf Hussain's vision for the welfare of the people of Sindh in the form of a formal budget document.
He said the proposals were not only supported the giving subsidy on wheat but it also recommended a subsidy on wheat flour to contain the price of a flour bag of 40-kg at Rs 750. He said the MQM had proposed Rs160 billion for development projects.
It is expected that the MQM will demand for major financial package for the development schemes of Karachi and Hyderabad, besides it will ask the government to enhance the law and order budget with proposals of creating a Provincial Intelligence Bureau (PIB) under the Home Secretary at provincial level with establishing its regional offices at all district headquarters.
The MQM is likely to demand for allocation of subsidy on flour at Urban Centres (District Headquarters) and introducing the Ration Cards or through other mechanisms.