• NA session adjourned without vote on mini-budget bill
• The session will meet again on Monday, Feb 20
• The bill was tabled by finance minister on Wednesday

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly (NA) session was adjourned on Friday without voting on the mini-budget bill, 2023. NA Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf chaired the session.

“The NA session has been adjourned to meet again on Monday, the 20th February 2023 at 5:00 pm,” the lower house said.

During the session today, PPP’s Qadir Khan urged the government to decrease the burden on the poor. Meanwhile, MQM-P lashed out at Finance Minister Ishaq Dar for being “non-serious” towards the difficult conditions the country was facing.

Pertinently, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar tabled the Finance (Supplementary) Bill 2023 in both houses on Wednesday.

Bill proposals

· Govt has increased GST on luxury items from 17% to 25%

· Increase in federal excise duty on cigarettes and fizzy drinks.

· Increase in federal excise duty on cement

· GST has been increased from 17pc to 18pc

· Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) handouts increased to Rs400bn from Rs360bn

· FDE on business and first-class air tickets to now be Rs20,000 or 50% — whichever is higher

· GST to not be imposed on essential goods

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