Bilawal advocates sales tax devolution as Sindh showcases governance gains

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Thursday outlined the Sindh government’s performance since 2008, citing progress in healthcare, education, poverty alleviation, infrastructure, industry, agriculture, and revenue generation, while proposing the devolution of sales tax collection to provinces to address the country’s fiscal challenges.

Delivering a detailed presentation on provincial governance at the Presidency, Bilawal Bhutto said Sindh was often portrayed as a “glass half empty” province, but maintained that the PPP-led government had strengthened institutions and expanded public service delivery over the years. He added that since assuming office in 2008, the party had received a larger mandate in every subsequent provincial election.

The event was attended by Acting President Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani, members of the Sindh cabinet, parliamentarians, diplomats, representatives of the business community, and media persons.

Highlighting improvements in healthcare, Bilawal Bhutto said Sindh’s health budget had increased from 2.9 percent in 2008 to nearly 10 percent currently. He said the bed capacity at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) had doubled from 1,100 to 2,200 by 2025, with a target of 3,100 beds by 2028.

He said the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) now operated 11 specialised hospitals and 30 chest pain units across the province, while more than 35 million patients had benefited from services at the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT) since 2008.

The Gambat Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS) has carried out 1,362 liver transplants, while the Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Institute of Trauma (SMBBIT) treats over 175,000 trauma patients annually.

Bilawal Bhutto said Sindh’s infant mortality rate stood at 2.9 percent, well below the national average of 5.45 percent.

In education, he said the number of public universities had increased from 10 in 2008 to 30, with 18 additional campuses established across the province.

On poverty alleviation, he said the Sindh Rural Support Organisation programme had helped lift 1.4 million women out of poverty through soft loans. Referring to the 2022 floods, he said 2.1 million climate-resilient homes were planned, with 750,000 completed and 1.5 million under construction, creating nearly one million jobs.

He said agricultural support measures had led to a wheat harvest of 4.5 million tonnes, while infrastructure development expanded the provincial road network to 57,000 kilometres.

On revenue, Bilawal Bhutto said the Sindh Revenue Board’s collection had risen to Rs307 billion by 2024, far outpacing federal growth. He proposed devolving sales tax on goods to provinces, arguing it would strengthen fiscal efficiency.

Earlier, Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said repeated electoral victories reflected public trust in the PPP’s governance and people-centric development model.