JI Shoora suggests steps to improve economy

The Central Shoora of the Jamaat-e-Islami, Pakistan has called upon the rulers to cut down on their lavish spending and bring their wealth back from abroad in order to tide over the current economic situation in the country.
A resolution adopted by the Shoora impressed upon the government to adopt policy of self-reliance to free the country from the clutches of the IMF and the World Bank. It also suggested the use of Thar coal to produce electricity. The JI central body stressed upon the President and the Prime Minister to undertake their foreign visits by ordinary flights and also slash the day-to-day expenditure of the Presidency and the Prime Minister House.
The Shoora also demanded withdrawal of the fresh sales tax on agricultural inputs besides reducing the federal cabinet to a half besides recovery of the written-off loans of the influential people amounting to billions.
The Shoora stressed that there should be no spending by the government over and above the budget without Public Accounts Committee's approval, and Bank loans to the government must also be tagged with the PAC's consent to ensure Bank money for the business community.
Citing figures to indicate the deterioration of the country's economy under the present government, the Shoora noted that during three years of Prime Minister Gilani's government, the percentage of population below poverty line had gone down from 28.4 to 41.2. During this period, the price of sugar has risen by 152 percent, Maash pulse by 122 percent, meat by 88 percent, milk price by 86 percent and wheat price by 46 percent.
The resolution said that the electricity tariff is being raised every month and there has been 130 percent increase in power tariff during this period, while the LPG prices has been raised by 200 percent. Only during last one month, the LPG prices have been increased five times. This has made the life of the common man miserable.
The Shoora noted that the total corruption in the country is estimated between 600 up to 1,000 billion rupees whereas the FBR's annual tax collection is only 1,580 billion and the tax theft is around Rs 1, 000 billion. The Shoora is of the view, if only the government could plug this tax theft, the country could be free from the clutches of the IMF and the World Bank.
The JI central body said that total budget deficit at present is around Rs 975 billion which could be overcome through foreign and domestic loans. The trade deficit stood at 14 billion dollars. A huge sum of 790 billion rupees had been allocated for payment of loan instalments and interest. The State Bank is printing fresh notes worth Rs 2 billion every day to help the government meet its lavish spending, it said.
The Shoora said that the rulers had also destroyed the country's agriculture through their wrong policies and the fresh levy of Sales Tax on agricultural inputs would raise the cost per acre by Rs 4, 000.