Budget blues

I am amazed at the revenue minister’s budget presentation. He announced an increase in salaries while giving a long list of taxes that would bring our salaries back to where they were – or even lower. The minister asked us to hope that the difficulties arising out of budgetary measures, including inflation, would subside over six months or a year. Did he think how people would survive in this time? Did he realize that people can end up committing suicide due to inflation?

The magnitude of the problem can be judged by the fact that they did not have a full-time finance minister to present their first federal budget. It sounded good when the budget offered to help the poor, increased allocations or social safety nets, social protection programmes, interest-free loans etc – but these all are empty promises that have no place in the given budget. I do not consider the budgetary measures to be favourable to the ordinary folks if the items of daily use like food and fuel are taxed more heavily while there is no scope to receive additional incomes to sustain a sane standard of living. In the present circumstances, it is hardly expected that the new fiscal measures will be of any help to match the increasing expenditures.

Izhan Ahmed

Karachi