NA to take up budget passage on 30th

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly (NA) will take up the next fiscal year’s budget for passage on June 30, while the Finance Bill would be tabled for adoption a day earlier.

As per schedule, the bill will be sent to the president for his assent the same day.

Top parliamentary sources told The News here Saturday that since the Finance Bill would be immediately consigned to the president, and it is feared the president would hold the bill if his past practice is kept in view.

According to the arrangements, the budget will be in place on July 1 even without Finance Bill’s implementation. The government has made all arrangements in case the presidential assent on the Finance Bill doesn’t come before or immediately after budget’s passage.

The sources said the government, referring to the rules, has made it clear that all the ministries, divisions and relevant department will start getting their expenditures and sanctioned amount on July 1 since it would be initiation of the fiscal year.

The sources reminded that the president has no option, but to give his assent and in case he doesn’t offer it, the Finance Bill will become automatically enforced after ten days of its passage on July 9. The president has no authority to return it to the Parliament with his dissent/rejection like other legislative bills.

The sources said delay resulted in absence of presidential assent for the Finance Bill could cause delay in starting of collection of taxes and other government revenue resources, but its impact could last hardly for less than two weeks.

The sources reminded that in case the president continued with his “negativity”, it could compel the government to take some administrative actions about the presidency, and in that case, some essential restrictions would be put in place about the activities in and around the presidency.

They said some undue facilities earlier available to the residents of the presidency could be withdrawn. They said the impeachment of President Alvi could also be considered at a later stage if he doesn’t come out of the influence of his political party. The president has 15 months at his disposal for staying in the office if the parliament does not impeach him or he resigns before that. Some legal experts are asking for moving the judiciary for taking cognizance the president’s actions. situation, the sources reminded. The spokesman of the presidency was not available for his comments on Saturday evening on the developments in question as his phone wasn’t responding.