LAHORE – Reiterating his opposition to the government’s plan to impose Reformed General Sales Tax, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has said Rs 1,500 billion may be raised through better economic management.
In an interview to Nawa-i-Waqt on Sunday, he said it would be wrong to claim that the RGST would not lead to increase in prices. “This step will be like the proverbial last straw on the camel’s back,” he said. The PML-N chief said the economic situation could be set right by bringing in a team of capable and honest managers.
He said the letter he had recently written to President Asif Zardari had not only diagnosed the problems but also proposed solutions. What is needed is action on the proposals, he added
Reduction in expenditure, search for new income sources and end of corrupt practices, he said, could help raise more resources. Such a strategy, he said, would not only rid the country of dependence on foreign loans but also make it self-sufficient. The PML-N leader said he had held detailed discussions with Finance Minister Dr Hafeez Shaikh and others during their recent visit to Raiwind. He said he had told them that 60 per cent of resources were going to the pockets of the privileged and the remaining 40 per cent were also not being used properly. He said he had not agreed with the governmentÂ’s point of view on the RGST.
According to Nawaz, the government team had indicated that they would meet him again after considering steps about implementing the measures outlined in his letter.
The former prime minister said the rulers would have to change their lifestyle, cut wasteful expenditure and get rid of the corrupt elements. The real problem, he said, was not the shortage of resources, but absence of the right direction and a capable leadership.
Nawaz said the stakeholders were not taken into confidence before taking a decision on imposing the RGST. He said the matter had been bulldozed in the Senate and now bargaining was being made to get the controversial bill passed from the National Assembly.
This, he said, was not the right way to rule the country. He said he would appeal to the rulers to let better sense prevail. All efforts should be made for creating harmony between the Centre and the federating units, and policymaking should be done to serve peopleÂ’s interests and not to meet the requirements of foreign powers.
Nawaz said it was his considered opinion that the prevailing situation was not conducive for the RGST.
He made it clear that now he would not leave the people at the mercy of circumstances. “We’ll not let the government put more burden on the people.”