3pc NFC share for former Fata recommended

ISLAMABAD: The Senate on Friday adopted recommendations of its Standing Committee on Finance, Revenue and Economic Affairs that the three per cent share of National Finance Commission (NFC) Award should be given to erstwhile Fata and an interim relief allowance of 10pc of basic salary might be granted to all government employees.

The amendments to Finance Supplementary (Second Amendment Bill) 2019 was presented in the House by Niaz H. Naek, chairman of the committee.

It was recommended that tax on coal being extracted from Balochistan should be reduced in view of the difficulties and overhead expenditure of coal extraction from mines in the province.

It was also proposed that Rs5 billion should be released by June 30 to Balochistan for construction of the check and small dams in the province.

Senate proposes 10pc salary hike for govt employees

The house said that the customs duty on Crude Degummed Soy Oil (CDSO) be increased to Rs15,000 per tonne in order to bring it in line with its replacement products and support local production of those products.

Regarding regulatory duty on export of recycled materials, the Senate proposed that the government should continue to impose regulatory duty on materials like lead under DTRE (Duty and Tax Remission for Exporters) scheme. The government should also not allow Pakistan as dumping ground for hazardous metals from all around the world.

The Senate recommended that the government should devise an immediate claim release mechanism to support non-textile exporters.

It was also said that in order to improve the existing infrastructure of SSGC and electrical lines in district Haripur, an allocation of Rs100 million should be made.

Regarding power projects, the House suggested that a 132MW grid station should be established in district Kohistan at the earliest to meet the rising demand of power consumption.

It was stressed that the road should be widened from Havelian to Abbottabad as soon as possible in order to avoid extreme road blockages causing inconvenience to the general public.

Further, the House proposed that the construction process of motorway from Shah Maqsood to Thakot should be completed soon and opened for general public.

Projects like Babusur Tunnel, announced by the former prime minister, as well as the New Gwadar airport were recommended to be completed at the earliest.

The House also proposed that low capacity Hydel projects, producing 1-4MW in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and throughout the Northern Areas should be set up, besides upgradation of electricity supply system in the Hattar Industrial Estate that generates about Rs70bn tax.

The National Assembly was also asked for an allocation of Rs300m for the year 2018-19 for Naltar Expressway Gilgit, having a cost of Rs2,626.872m.

Regarding healthcare in Gilgit, an allocation of Rs200m for the year 2018-19 was suggested in respect of a 50-bed cardiac hospital in Gilgit having a cost of Rs1,513.304m.