پاکستان میں مہنگائی کم ہونیکا دعویٰ درست نہیں، مہنگائی بڑھنے کی رفتار کم ہوئی ہے، مفتاح اسماعیل

Awam Pakistan Party leader and former Federal Finance Minister Miftah Ismail has said that the government’s claim that inflation has decreased is not true, but the rate of inflation has slowed down. Addressing a session held at the Institute of Business Management titled Pakistan Economic Outlook Challenging Opportunities and answering questions from students, former Finance Minister Miftah Ismail said that the people in Pakistan have been continuously becoming poor for three years. He said that the rate of inflation in Pakistan has decreased slightly this year, it was high last year. Due to inflation, the poor become poorer and the rich remain in their place. He said that the rate of price increase is certainly low, but it is continuously increasing.

Things are becoming more expensive than before, Miftah Ismail said that our members of the national and provincial assemblies have been elected by your vote, in Punjab they have increased their salaries by 400 and a half percent and in the federation by 350 percent, while the federation has increased its ongoing expenses by 22 percent. The joint government of the Muslim League, the PPP and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan appears to be failing in the economic sector, he said that the federation should work on priorities, the federation has money, a tax of Rs. 50,000 was imposed on the salaried class.

Miftah said that there has been talk that the government wants to abolish property taxes. Government ministers say that inflation has decreased, but this is not entirely true. Rather, the rate of inflation has slowed down. The average income of citizens in the country is not increasing. The former Finance Minister said that tax rates should be reduced and then we should talk about reforms. The country cannot be educated by making it rich. Pakistan can never develop if the government does not focus on education and health of children. He said that Shahbaz Sharif did not think that if wheat becomes expensive, flour will also become expensive. When flour became expensive during the PDM period, people cried out. Poor farms suffered losses at that time. The most important indicator of economic development is GDP. He said that due to the increase in tax rates and inflation, the documented income of Pakistanis is being put under pressure. It is necessary to prioritize important goals to achieve long-term economic success.

Miftah Ismail said that he demands the salaried class to pay more taxes according to their income level, questions the absence of taxes on agricultural land, and emphasizes the need for reforms in this sector. He said that there are two important principles of tax policy. The first principle suggests that everyone in the same situation should pay the same amount of tax. The second principle says that people with higher incomes should pay more taxes, reflecting their ability to contribute more to the economy. He said that the government’s priority is to strangle the judiciary. Shahbaz Sharif has opposed the PECA law and now it is being passed and implemented.