ISLAMABAD: The Senate’s Standing Committee on States and Frontier Regions (Safron) observed on Tuesday that people of erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) have been burdened with taxes, ARY News reported.
Chairman of the committee, Taj Muhammad Afridi, made this statement during a committee meeting today. He was briefed on taxes imposed by the Federal Board of Revenue on tribal people.
The members asked about the government decision in which it was decided that no tax would be collected from people for five years under FATA reforms.
Read: Senate standing committee briefed on admission quota for tribal students
Aurangzeb Orakzai, who is member of the committee, expressed concern that it was injustice that taxes under electricity charges were being collected from tribal people.
An official of Tribal Electric Supply Company (TESCO) told the committee that FATA owed Rs 2 billion outstanding dues to the power authority.
The officials said they couldn’t ignore the fact and move on without collecting electricity charges.
In response to the version put up by Tribal Electric Supply Company officials, the Senate committee response from Minister of Finance, State Bank of Pakistan, and other relevant departments to turn up before the committee in the next meeting.
Senators Hilal-ur-Rehman, Sajjad Hussain Turi, Sardar Muhammad Yaqoob Khan Nasir, Najma Hameed and other senior officials of the ministry attended the meeting.
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