KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has termed tax deduction of over Rs6 billion by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) unconstitutional and illegal.
Presiding over a preparatory meeting for the Council of Common Interests (CCI), the chief minister also announced to take up the issue in the CCI meeting.
He said that the FBR’s deduction of the withholding tax imposed on vehicles went against the spirit of an agreement between the Sindh government and the State Bank.
According to the report, the FBR has deducted over Rs6.2 billion during 2015-16 and recently it has deducted Rs292 million from the Sindh government’s accounts, said Finance Secretary Hassan Naqvi.
In case the matter was not resolved, the chief minister issued directives to Advocate General Zameer Ghumro to file a constitutional petition in court.
Talking about the national water policy, which is among the agenda items for the meeting, Murad said he wanted sufficient supplies regularly to secure riverine areas and their economy. He emphasised that there should also be an arrangement for the disposal of rainwater.
He assured meeting participants that he would support formation of the National Water Commission for the resolution of water disputes if he was appointed its chairman on a rotation basis.
Referring to Balochistan’s claims regarding compensation for water supplies, Murad said Sindh had never stopped water supply to the province and the claim was not justified.
