The National Assembly on Tuesday approved the Finance Bill 2021-22 with the majority of votes.

Prime Minister Imran Khan and other members of the Parliament also attended the National Assembly session to vote on budget 2021-22.

There were 172 votes in favor of the Finance Bill while 138 members opposed it.

Speaking on the floor, Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin said the targets set in the budget 2021-22 will be achieved.

He said it is the first budget that has given a roadmap to uplift four million poor households by providing interest-free loans to them. He said these households will also be provided with Sehat Insaaf Cards and equipped with technical skills.

The Finance Minister said the core inflation stands at seven percent. He admitted that the prices of food items have increased which is so because the agriculture sector was ignored in the past. He said we are spending sixty-two billion rupees for the uplift of this important sector of the economy.

He said that we are also giving exemptions worth billions of rupees to this sector on fertilizers and pesticides. He pointed out that the provincial governments are also spending on the agriculture sector.

Tarin said we have to enhance the tax to GDP ratio to twenty percent to take the country forward on the economic front. He said we do not believe in harassment but action will be taken against wilful defaulters

On the IMF bailout package, Tarin said the wrongdoings of the past government compelled the PTI government to go into a fresh IMF program.

He said we are trying to expand the tax net in order to run the country better and advised the opposition members to do constructive criticism.

For Ehsaas Program, the finance minister said Rs. 260 billion have been proposed for the financial grants in the upcoming financial year 2021-22.

Former President Asif Ali Zardari, Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, and other senior opposition members were also present in the meeting.

Source: Pro Pakistani