LAHORE: Almost all the industrial bodies of the country have criticised the federal budget for fiscal year 2015-16 and termed it anti-people.
Pakistan Textile Exporters Association Chairman Sohail Pasha has said that the budget makers had failed to give direction to industrial progress, trading activity, reduction in cost of doing business and enhancing the competitive edge of Pakistani goods in international market.
Accompanied by Vice Chairman Rizwan Riaz Saigal, he pointed out the glaring shortcomings of federal budget 2015-16. Foremost objective of the budget is to give the direction and fillip to manufacturing, business and trade of the country enabling these sectors optimum utilisation of available resources in order to maximise their output increasing their contribution and share to the GDP.
The PTEA leaders urged the Government to address the real and basic challenges of textile industry to put the economy into deep gear.
The leaders of PPP Muzaffargarh, National Labour Federation and paramedical staff termed the budget public enemy. The All Pakistan Clerks Association APCA said, “The Federal Budget is an anti-employees budget as the government has not raised their salaries in line with the increasing inflation thus the 7.5 percent pay raise is very disappointing.”
APCA Punjab Secretary General Fakhur Rehman said that after the budget, there would be a new storm of inflation across the country thereby increasing the suicide rate. He said that budget was made on the directions of the International Monetary Fund due to which the lives of the people will become more difficult. He added that a protest campaign will be launched against the current budget.
Scores of PTI Muzaffargarh activists staged a demonstration against the PML-N government for presenting anti-people budget. The demo was led by Barrister Mirza Imtiaz Aleem. The participants shouted slogans against the government of Sharif family. He said that it was a unique budget which was rejected by all the sections of the society. He said that it was a bundle of lie and unrealistic figures.
The Punjab Teachers Union termed the 7.5 percent increase in salaries of government employees and in pension of retired employees unsatisfactory.
PTU Toba Tek Singh President Safia Haq said like the federal government’s 2015-16 annual budget, the Punjab government will also follow it. She stated that prices of commodities like milk, sugar, flour, gas, electricity and petroleum products were so high that an employee would never be able to fulfill his needs after minor raise in salaries.
National Labour Federation Chairman Majeed Salik criticised the MNAs for being calm on the issue and said they should demand of the government to make at least 25 percent raise in the salaries of the government employees. He also opposed 100 percent increase in the salaries of secretaries of federal ministries. It announced to hold a protest demonstration against anti poor annual budget on June 9 outside the press clubs all over the country.
Awami Workers Party District President Chaudhry Zubair and home based women workers leader Ms Rafia Ashfaq said the minimum salary of Rs13,000 per month fixed for workers in federal government budget was quite insufficient as the price hike will disable them to meet the expenditures of their families.
PRGMEA Central Chairman Ejaz A Khokhar said that it was not an export-oriented budget, but meant to promote the imports. He said that the sales tax on yarn and processing has been increased to 5 percent from 1 to 2 percent. He said that the government has allocated only Rs6 billion which was nothing more than peanuts. The government should allocate at least Rs30 billion for export promotion.
