PTI Punjab President Ejaz Chaudhary said the nation has again witnessed the unholy nexus of PML-N and PPP yesterday when both parties ganged up in the parliament and passed Gas Infrastructure Development Cess (GIDC) Bill 2014 to give legal cover to the controversial Rs 140 billion tax on gas. He said first PPP opposed the bill but later voted for it. If this is not Muk Muka then what else, he added. He said unfortunately PPP and
PML-N are symbols of democracy in the country but they have no understanding of what democracy is. It is undemocratic to pass such controversial bill as the newly imposed Gas Infrastructure Development Cess, which will ultimately put burden on the poor masses he added. He said it would be a disaster for the industry, which is already suffering due to anti-business policies of PML-N government.
Secretary General Yasmin Rashid said it is proven now that PML-N and PPP can go to any extent when it comes to tax the poor through indirect taxes. Why is the government reluctant to introduce tax reforms and keep burdening the poor nation whose 60 percent population is living below the poverty line? She said Sharif Brothers who always boast about supremacy of law and constitution have overthrown Supreme Court decision. The Supreme Court in August 2014 has already declared the Gas Infrastructure Development Cess a fee and ruled that it could not be levied through a money bill she added.
She said PPP is trying to play on both sides of the wicket but politically aware people of the country know very well about their fixed match with
PML-N.
Information Secretary Andleeb Abbas said the insensitive and anti-poor
PML-N government despite clear instructions of Supreme Court first imposed the tax through an ordinance in September last year. Now they have passed the bill to give it legal cover against for them Supreme Court verdict and the voice of opposition have no meanings she added. She said it has become PML-N government???s habit to extort money from the poor through indirect taxes for covering the fiscal deficit.
She said PML-N government insistence on its retrospective collection of
Gas Infrastructure Development Cess would make the industry sick, which has already suffered a lot due to non-availability of electricity and gas.
PML-N and the PPP were two sides of the same political oligarchy that had ruled country for the last 30 years and has given nothing to the country but poverty and misery she added.
Media Cell
PTI Punjab