Bill to amend agri income tax law tabled in Punjab Assembly

LAHORE: The Punjab Agricultural Income Tax (Amendment) Bill 2024 was introduced in the Punjab Assembly on Monday.

The bill, introduced by Provincial Minister Mian Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman, was referred to the standing committee for discussion. The bill will be debated in the PA in its upcoming sittings and the government is quite likely to pass it in the ongoing fiscal year 2024-25. Even if the bill is referred back to the PA by the governor with any objection, under the law, the House will pass it and it will become a law.

According to the opposition, the government wants to impose taxes even on small growers just to appease the International Monetary Fund (IMF). While rejecting the bill, the opposition termed it a move to suppress farmers by the PMLN government on the instructions of the IMF.

Opposition leader Malik Ahmad Khan Bachar, while talking to the media outside the Punjab Assembly, said through a legislation, the government wanted to impose taxes on every acre of growers of Punjab overnight. He said farmers were the same community from whom the present government, headed by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, did not purchase wheat.

Bachar said the 26th Amendment was passed through force, adding that the institution of judiciary was facing the darkest times of its history as present, which was not even witnessed in the dictatorial regimes. He said the PTI would give a protest call in this month, November. He said the IGP Punjab had been given the task of arresting the PTI supporters.

The opposition leader said the PTI leaders like Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed, Azam Swati, Omar Sarfaraz Cheema had been kept in detention illegally for long. He added that at a time when the country was in the grip of smog, the PMLN leaders were spending time in Switzerland.

During the PA session, members expressed dissatisfaction over performance of the government officials and departments. Raheela Khadim Hussain of the PMLN protested after her question was answered with a delay of eight months.

Amjad Ali Javaid of the PMLN termed the increase in the fee of succession certificates by NADRA a setback for the poor people and demanded withdrawal of the decision. PPP MPA Mumtaz Chahang threatened to tender resignation if the corrupt police officials were not removed from Katcha area. Khurram Ejaz Chatha of the PTI was congratulated by the speaker and the house members for winning the award of the Parliamentarian of the Year.