KARACHI: Hours after Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan rejected the PML-N government’s tax amnesty scheme to whiten undeclared assets, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) too opposed the scheme, saying it is aimed at whitening black money.
Speaking at a press conference here, PPP leader and former Senate chairman Raza Rabbani urged the president not to give go-ahead to such a scheme. He said the federal government couldn’t introduce it without approval of Parliament.
Slamming the PML-N, he said, it had brought three such schemes during its tenure, but they failed to achieve their objective.
No scheme so far had been introduced for welfare of the middle class, he lamented and added all schemes were aimed to benefit the rich people.
Earlier, Commenting on the newly-unveiled tax amnesty scheme, Imran Khan rejected the scheme, calling it a ploy to ‘fool taxpayers’.
Addressing news conference on his arrival in Hyderabad, Khan insists the tax amnesty scheme implies that the taxpayers are ‘fools’.
He claimed the whole of Punjab budget is spent by a single person – that is Shahbaz Sharif.
The PTI chief said people of Sindh had decided to do away with the Pakistan People’s Party. Khan also hinted at launching movement ‘Kyun Nikala’ in Sindh.
He said Sharif brothers were fooling the nation, where one brother [Nawaz Sharif] is criticizing the institutions while another [Shahbaz Sharif] is heaping praise.
He maintained that the nation was plunging into debt while national leaders were keeping their foreign agreements under wraps. He said money laundering was the core reason of rising debt on Pakistan.
Khan reiterated that the incumbent leaders plundered huge money from Pakistan and transferred it abroad to maximize their own wealth. “Children of Ishaq Dar and Nawaz Sharif are residing in Dubai and London,” he slammed.
He underlined that corruption and transparent elections are national issue which required importance.
What is the new tax amnesty scheme?
Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi announced on Thursday a major tax reforms package envisaging substantial reduction in income tax rates and launching of an amnesty scheme for undeclared assets.
Announcing that all 120 million national identity card holders will be assigned tax numbers. Under the amnesty plan, all Pakistanis will be able to declare their unreported income and assets and bring their money into the tax base after paying a 5 percent one-off penalty, Abbasi said. He said Pakistanis living overseas and declaring income or assets would pay a 2 per cent one-time penalty.
Pakistani politicians will be exempted from the amnesty, which will be effective until June 30.
“This is some 2-1/2 months’ time you have to benefit from, and after that you will have to face the law,” the prime minister said.
 Chairman Imran Khan hit out at the PML-N government’s tax amnesty scheme to whiten undeclared assets, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) too opposed the scheme, saying it is aimed at whitening black money.){kind=link}