Friday, 19 August, 2022 I 20 Muharram, 1444 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XIII No 50 I 12 Pages I Islamabad Edition
Govt lifts ban on ‘luxury’ imported items g
says duties on import oF cBus Being increased threeFold
ISLAMABAD
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staff report
inance minister miftah ismail on thursday announced lifting the ban on the import of luxury items as desired by the international monetary Fund (imF) and world trade organization (wto). addressing a press conference here at the federal capital, the finance minister said that if the government had a limited amount of dollars and its foremost priority was to provide basic necessities to the country’s population, then its choice was very simple. “do we buy cars or grain with those dollars? do we buy mobile phones or pulses? do we buy oil and ghee or home appliances? our choice becomes very simple.”
g
says government complied with imF instruction on electricity tariFF
however, he added that the ban was lifted as wished by the international community. he further said that although the ban is being lifted, duties – regulatory, custom and sales tax – are being increased by three times on the import of cBu items including vehicles, mobile phone, electronics, imported meat and fish, shoes, purses, and packed food items to make the import difficult. miftah ismail admitted the smuggling of imported items through green channels, stating that despite an import ban for over three months, one can easily get imported fish and meat in restaurants of islamabad, Karachi, and lahore. talking about the imF executive Board’s meeting scheduled for august 29, miftah said that the government has also complied with the electricity tariff, committed that a bud-
geted and funded subsidy will be provided on electricity and that the primary deficit target of rs153 billion will be met. “the government will not provide a no non-funded subsidy,” he reiterated. the finance minister said that mistakenly fixed retail tax was imposed on small traders whose electricity bills were just rs1,000 to rs2,000; therefore, the government will withdraw the notification in this regard, adding that the target of collecting rs27 billion as a fixed tax on retail will be withdrawn but variable five per cent sales tax and 7.5 per cent income tax will be charged from every shopkeeper for the next three months, up to october 1, 2022. “afterwards, on the consumption of more than 50 units, both sales and income tax will be increased gradually to 20 per cent in accordance with the consumption of electricity units,” he added. the gap in the shortfall, he said, will be bridged by imposing rs36 billion additional taxes on tobacco. in this regard, miftah announced that the government will increase Fed to rs2,250 on tier-ii 1,000 cigarettes from rs1,850 and rs6,500 on tier-i 1,000 cigarettes from rs5,900. “and the cess on tobacco per kg will be increased to rs380 from rs10,” he added. he informed that four companies have purchased track and trace systems which will make monitoring of this matter effective. Furthermore, the finance minister said that there won’t be any sales tax on the subsidy on electricity. through the ordinance, the sales tax on peter engine (diesel one engine) is being removed while the government will also consider the removal of tax on import of agricultural implements.
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US commander lauds Pakistan Army’s ‘commendable’ efforts in war on terror ISLAMABAD staff report
general michael erik Kurilla, commander us centcom along with a delegation visited ghQ and held one-on-one meeting with the chief of army staff (coas) and discussed the matters of mutual interest, regional security situation & stability, defence and security cooperation particularly military to military ties during the meeting. the one-on-one call was followed by delegation level meeting. pakistan army’s counter
terrorism efforts and significant contributions towards regional peace and stability were discussed. pakistan-us military training exchange programme also came under discussion. the visiting dignitary acknowledged pakistan army’s commendable efforts in fight against terrorism, counter terrorism experiences and efforts for regional peace and stability. later, the visiting dignitary also visited army museum and took keen interest in various historical enclosures.
FIA should arrest Imran Khan like PML-N leaders on mere allegations: Marriyum ISLAMABAD app
minister for information and Broadcasting marriyum aurangzeb on thursday said the Federal investigation agency (Fia) should arrest imran Khan like that of the pakistan muslim league-nawaz leaders who were apprehended on the basis of mere accusations. “if the Fia can arrest shehbaz sharif, maryam nawaz, suleman shehbaz, hamza shehbaz, ahsan iqbal, shahid Khaqan abbasi, miftah ismail and others on the basis of allegations, then why imran Khan, who used the prohibited funding against the national interest, should be let scot free,” she said while addressing a news conference. marriyum said a person (imran Khan), who refused to appear before the Fia in connection with the prohibited funding, should be in jail. she also asked all those, who had opened fake accounts for receiving the prohibited funding, to appear before the Fia, otherwise, they should be ready for strict action. the prohibited funding case, she said, would be taken to its logical end and its all details would be made public so that the people should know how imran Khan had misled them through “lies and deception”. “the probe in the pti’s prohibited funding is underway and the Fia has unearthed a big account, whose details will be shared with the public tomorrow,” she remarked. the minister said the election commission of pakistan had declared the pti a foreign-aided party as it used some 351 accounts for receiving the prohibited funding. she alleged that imran Khan also used the funds, collected from abroad in the name of shaukat Khanam hospital and flood victims, for creating chaos and anarchy in the country. marriyum regretted that the “trespasser of the constitution” refused to appear before the Fia, contravening his own so-called stance that the powerful should not be above the law. on the contrary, she added, nawaz sharif along with his daughter had regularly appeared before the court when he was the prime minister. she said the country, media and nation had gotten freedom from a “foreign agent and his foreign funding”. as regards the address of imran Khan to a seminar on the press freedom, the minister said inviting a person, who had gagged the media during his four-year rule, was a “ridiculous step”. she was surprised to see that some responsible journalists were listening to imran Khan’s address attentively, she added.
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PM, Australian HC vow to enhance cooperation in diverse fields ISLAMABAD app
the newly-appointed australian high commissioner to pakistan mr. neil hawkins on thursday reaffirmed pakistan’s strong desire and commitment to further enhance cooperation in diverse fields such as trade and investment, agriculture including wheat production, livestock including cattle raising, educational and technical cooperation, direct air-links, skilled migration, and people-to-people contacts. the high commissioner, during a call on with the prime minister, appreci-
ated steady progress achieved in bilateral relations over the years. the australian high commissioner reciprocated the desire for further strengthening of bilateral relations and conveyed profound gratitude for pakistan’s facilitative role in safe evacuation of their nationals and others from afghanistan. the prime minister highlighted the cooperation that pakistan continued to extend to the international community in the wake of the situation in afghanistan, particularly since august last year. the prime minister added that pakistan desired peaceful ties with india,
based on the principles of equity, justice and mutual respect. in this context, a just and peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the relevant unsc resolutions and the wishes of the Kashmiri people was indispensible. the prime minister stressed that the international community had to play a facilitative role in this regard, as it was essential for durable peace and stability in south asia. the high commissioner thanked the prime minister for receiving him and expressed his resolve to further increase and diversify the existing ties between australia and pakistan.