Burden of more taxes on the stagnant economy will worsen economic conditions: Liaqat Baloch

LAHORE, June 13 (SABAH): Naib Emir Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Liaqat Baloch has said that the economic situation will worsen by imposing more taxes on the stagnant economy. He said the middle class has been virtually eliminated from the society. Now there are only two classes left in the country, one is rich and the other is poor.

These views were expressed by Naib Emir of Jamaat-i-Islami Liaqat Baloch while talking to the media regarding the budget speech of Federal Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb in the National Assembly.

Liaqat Baloch said that Pakistan is already among the worst countries in the world in terms of per capita income, currency value and growth rate. He said the government’s policy of crushing white-collar workers and small businesses through the proposed budget measures will crush the country’s economy. He said that burdening the stagnant economy with more taxes will worsen the economic situation. If the burden on small businesses and skilled people will increase, they will be forced to leave the country, he said.

Liaqat Baloch said that the Pakistani nation has its name and position in the world in self-reliance and tenacity, adding the founders of Pakistan, Quaid-e-Azam and Liaqat Ali Khan, led Pakistan on the path of development but unfortunately, the rulers who came after them pushed the country and the nation into the slavery of America and international commercial institutions.

He said the IMF document is given the name of budget and dust is thrown in the eyes of the public. He said for the past several decades, mockery is being made with the people by using the name of budget. He said that PPP, PML-N, PTI have given the nation nothing but despair and darkness, adding Jamaat-e-Islami is the ray of hope for the country and the nation.

Liaqat Baloch termed the press conference of the Finance Minister as a story of failures and said that instead of giving good news, the nation has been made more disappointed and deprived by telling stories of failures. He said the rulers do not have the courage to negotiate with the IMF keeping in mind the national interests, that is the reason why the finance ministers are also imported in the country.

Liaqat Baloch said that the Quaid-e-Azam gave us the concept of a welfare state but we made Pakistan a tax regime and a tax state, adding that billions of rupees are collected from the salaried class every year in the form of taxes, but no one cares about the big landlords and capitalists. Petroleum levy, expensive electricity, expensive gas, ever-increasing food prices and over-billing have squeezed the poor people, he deplored.