ST on services as federal subject: concern expressed in Sindh Assembly

MQM on Tuesday sought clarification from the federal government on sales tax on services transfer to the provinces, as the finance bill 2011-12 still contains the tax as the federal subject. The provincial legislator belonging to MQM in Sindh Assembly, Sardar Ahmed, expressed concern during the assembly session regarding sales tax on services, saying that finance bill 2011-12 had described it as a federal subject.
The concern from MQM surfaced just a day after the provincial assembly passed a bill into law to empower Sindh province to collect sales tax on services, which was formerly a federal government collection. Sardar said the inclusion of the tax in the finance bill was a violation of the country's Constitution as it was the right of provinces to collect.
He said that after the 18th amendment, the right of tax collection had been transferred to the provinces from the centre. He wanted the federal government to clarify as to why the finance bill contained the tax collection as the federal subject. Immediately, Sindh assembly speaker Nisar Khohro interrupted him and tried to clarify the issue, saying that the provincial assembly's law on sales tax on services had been passed later than the finance bill announcement. Therefore, he said, the federal government could be asked to solve the anomaly.
With Nisar Khohro in the chair, the Sindh Assembly began its private members' day proceedings allowing legislators to present their public concerned bills and resolution in the house and contend them to pass.
However, only one resolution was unanimously passed, which the member from the government benches, Muhammad Bachal Shah had tabled regarding the law and order situation in the province including Karachi, besides wanting the government to carry out a drive to de-weaponise the province to establish peace and security for the citizens. The resolution received great support from either side of the house. At first Bachal Shah showed dismay over the rising insecurity and gunfight in the province, panicking the citizens.
He said there should be better governance in the province, adding that teenagers and younger boys were involved in the lethal weapon triggering at the innocent people. He said although it was a challenging task for the government, he hoped that with the coalition partners including MQM, ANP and PML-F the menace could be eliminated.
He said he wanted Sindh province a weapon-free area with peace and harmony in the society. Sindh Food Minister Nadir Magsi hoped the political parties would show their will to bring the rising trend of society's weaponisation to an end, but feared it was still not an easy objective to meet.
He said none in the society would voluntarily hand over his weapons to the government, as insecurity in the society was still a big issue of concerns among the citizens and political parties. He said the root cause of the weapons dumping in the province was lying in Afghanistan chaos.
He said that unless the Afghanistan issue was settled the supply of weapons into the country would continue. He said the menace had started damaging Pakistan during the Zia-ul-Haq regime, which continued to this moment. Amanullah Khan Mehsud of ANP urged all political parties to take steps to make the province particularly Karachi free of weapons. He said land and sea routes were needed to be checked to stop the supply of arms into Karachi from other countries.
He said investors had left the city after rise in cases of violence, ransom, extortions, abduction of traders and killings, and added that the government should make a policy to restore the businessmen's confidence to grow the city's trade and commercial activities. Faisal Sabzwari of MQM said his party had already submitted a bill on de-weaponisation in the country in the National Assembly a few months ago, seeking a weapon-free Pakistan. Later, members voted the resolution to pass it unanimously.
Other three bills from opposition members were rejected with a majority of vote by the coalition members. Sindh Electricity (Emergency Powers) Bill 2009, by Arif Mustafa failed to make a passage in the house for the government said there had already existed a law in this connection and did not need another one.
The Civil Servant (Amendment) Bill, 2011, also by Arif Mustafa Jatoi, became an unpopular move, which the ruling coalition also rejected. The treasury benches also rejected a bill by Nusrat Sehar Abbasi calling for prohibition of corporal punishment against children. Speaker adjourned the session till Wednesday morning 9.30 am.