KARACHI: The Sindh Assembly late Sunday night approved the provincial budget for the fiscal year 2026–27, amounting to Rs3.562 trillion, along with supplementary grants worth Rs165 billion.
During the budget session, the House rejected all 1,600 cut motions moved by opposition members. The Assembly also passed the Sindh Finance Bill, under which no new taxes have been imposed. Instead, the government rationalised and streamlined existing taxes, with adjustments made to the rates of certain levies through the finance legislation.
Opposition members presented cut motions on demands for grants related to the National Games. The government opposed these motions, noting that the Chief of Defence Forces had been the chief guest at the National Games. The cut motions were subsequently rejected by the House.
The opposition also moved a cut motion against the grant allocated for the film Mera Lyari. Opposing the motion, the Chief Minister said Sindh was the first province to produce such a film and that it projected a positive image of the province. The Assembly rejected this motion as well.
At the time of the passage of the Finance Bill, Sabir Qaimkhani of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) moved an amendment related to the super tax on the agricultural sector, proposing an 8 percent tax on annual agricultural income exceeding Rs50 million. The Chief Minister opposed the amendment, arguing that the federal government had also reduced the super tax on agricultural income as farmers generally do not earn such high returns. The House rejected the proposed amendment.
Through the Finance Bill, changes have been made to the rates of various taxes as well as to the tax net. Following the approval of the provincial budget and the Finance Bill, the Sindh Assembly session was prorogued.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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