01/07/2024
The Salaried Class Alliance Pakistan expressed strong disapproval of the recent federal budget, deeming it unfair to the salaried employees. Speaking at a press conference in Karachi, the alliance representatives called upon the Supreme Court to take suo motu notice of the increased tax rates that burden the salaried class.
Obaidullah Sharif highlighted that the budget has significantly raised tax rates for salaried individuals, making it challenging for them to meet their basic needs. Komal Ali criticized the finance minister’s claim of not imposing additional burdens on the salaried class, pointing out that the tax contribution of this group had increased dramatically in recent years. She emphasized that the alliance, which is non-political and composed of ordinary citizens, seeks fairness in taxation.
A Ahmed Khan argued that the government unfairly targets the salaried class, which lacks the power to protest against such measures. He noted that while employees have taxes deducted at source, other sectors, like agriculture, often evade taxation.
Khan criticized the representation in the assemblies, dominated by individuals from landlord backgrounds, which leads to neglect of the issues faced by the salaried class. The alliance called for increasing the minimum tax threshold for salaried employees to Rs100,000 per month and expanding the tax net to include landlords and other untaxed sectors.
