Govt urged to avoid new taxes

Islamabad: The residents of the twin cities have demanded of the federal government to avoid introducing new taxes in upcoming mini-budget because they are no more able to face rising price hike of almost all essential household commodities. Sajjad Malik, a resident of Islamabad, said the price hike is one of the most crucial issues now-a-days as the price of everything ranging from essential daily commodities to transportation, educational, medical and other expenses are also increasing. He said the recent price hike of food stuff has created extreme hardships for many households, particularly marginalized segments of the society who cannot meet their requirements and often end up consuming less food than required. It is pertinent to mention here that federal finance minister Asad Umar has announced to present the government’s mini-budget on January 23. The price hike generally results in stress in purchasing clothes, schooling and health related facilities and the common people have to amend their monthly budgets and consumption pattern to cope with the situation. Qosain Pasha, a resident of Rawalpindi, said the prices of consumer goods have also witnessed a sharp increase in last few months such as televisions, smartphones, laptops, tablets and home appliances due to rupee depreciation. “This situation is more severe for the ultra-poor segments whose food vulnerability increases due to their greater dependency on wage labour or low-income activities,” he said. He said those household groups who are employed in the formal sector and whose salaries are fixed in nominal terms are also suffering due to the price hike.