Pakistan’s tax exemptions worth Rs11 trillion over five years have come under scrutiny, as lawmakers demand transparency. Members of the National Assembly have questioned who benefited and whether ordinary citizens received meaningful relief.
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) lawmakers raised concerns over the concessions. They also questioned the government’s tax collection performance amid rising prices of essential commodities.
Speaking to journalists outside Parliament, JUI-F MNA Alia Kamran said lawmakers had received vague information about tax exemptions. She called on the government to disclose beneficiaries and explain the relief provided to ordinary citizens.
Lawmakers Demand Details of Rs11 Trillion Tax Exemptions
Kamran questioned the distribution of tax concessions, arguing that public money supports the national exchequer. However, she said the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) had failed to collect taxes from those required to pay.
She criticised the FBR’s performance and called for an end to exemptions benefiting privileged sections at ordinary citizens’ expense. Moreover, she urged authorities to release further details about the concessions.
Kamran said the public needed information about beneficiaries and the actual relief these measures delivered. Without such details, lawmakers and citizens cannot properly assess their impact.
PPP Questions Rs2.3 Trillion in Tax Concessions
PPP MNA Sharmila Faruqui also raised concerns about the government’s taxation policies. She said lawmakers had questioned tax concessions worth Rs2.3 trillion over four years during National Assembly proceedings.
According to Faruqui, the Finance Division had been asked to identify the individuals, institutions and sectors benefiting from these exemptions.
She highlighted the tax burden on salaried employees, saying the government collected Rs605 billion from salaried individuals in one year. Meanwhile, she questioned whether other beneficiaries received substantial concessions without delivering comparable relief to the public.
Faruqui said the government had failed to provide satisfactory answers about who benefited. Consequently, questions remain over whether these exemptions serve the wider population.
Rising Flour, LPG and Fertiliser Prices Raise Concerns
Alongside tax exemptions, Faruqui criticised rising prices of essential commodities. She highlighted increasing costs of flour, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and fertilisers.
She said higher flour prices were adding pressure on household budgets and confirmed that the issue would be raised in the National Assembly.
Meanwhile, Faruqui said LPG had become increasingly expensive, making household gas cylinders difficult for ordinary citizens to afford. She clarified that her concerns focused on domestic consumers, not industrial gas consumption.
The PPP lawmaker also pointed to the rising cost of agricultural inputs. She said diammonium phosphate (DAP) fertiliser had reached Rs18,000, raising concerns for those facing higher farming expenses.
Government Faces Questions Over Its Relief Strategy
Faruqui criticised the relevant minister’s responses to questions about rising prices, saying they lacked satisfactory explanations.
She also questioned repeated assurances that authorities were working on the problems. In her view, such statements did not amount to a clear policy or practical direction.
Both lawmakers called for greater transparency over tax concessions and their beneficiaries. They also questioned whether current policies offer meaningful relief as households struggle with increasing living costs.
The debate has placed renewed attention on the scale of tax exemptions, their distribution and the government’s response to inflation. Lawmakers are seeking clearer answers on who benefits and how ordinary Pakistanis stand to gain.
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