PESHAWAR - Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on Saturday presented Rs404.8 billion budget for the fiscal year 2014-15, proposing an increase in certain taxes, allocating Rs139.8 billion for Annual Development Programme (ADP) which is being claimed to be 34.54 per cent of the total financial plan.
KP Finance Minister Sirajul Haq, unveiling the budget in the provincial assembly, said that estimated expenditures are Rs404.8 billion for 2014-15, thus, it would be a balanced budget.
He said that the annual receipts and expenditures had been pitched at Rs404.80 billion, which are 18 per cent higher than the outgoing fiscal year. A sum of Rs 7.5 billion has been allocated for construction of small hydel power plants in Hazara and Malakand divisions. He said that the federal government and Wapda owe the provincial government a sum of Rs140 billion.
“The revenue generation resources of the province are limited, so, a small increase with little changes in difference taxes has been proposed for the next fiscal year. To make tax schedule more effective, provincial government planned to enhance the existing ratio of UIP tax, introducing more reforms in immoveable commercial property tax,” the finance minister said.
“Expanding UIP tax net on mobile towers and antenna has been suggested. There will be different ratio of collecting the tax on divisional, district, tehsil and town level,” he said.
To give relief to low income people, the provincial government suggested to exclude even those having income of Rs10,000 from professional tax.
To enhance revenue, raise in professional tax on private educational institutions, private hospitals and institutions generating handsome income has been proposed in the budget documents. Besides, it has also been planned to expand professional tax net. The budget documents recommended a reasonable add in the existing ratios of tobacco development cess, land tax and agricultural income tax.
The government has suggested reduction in existing ratio of sales tax from 16 to 15 per cent, which would help the trading community. However, fees being collected by transport department from parks, addas and route permits are going to go up, the document said.
Also, the proposed revenue for 2014-15, the KPK government would receive Rs227.12 billion from the federal government as its share in federal taxes, Rs27.29 billion, which is 1 percent in divisible pool for war on terror, GST on services (provincial) Rs12 billion, gas and oil royalty Rs29.26 billion, provincial own receipts Rs13.93 billion, hydel net profit Rs12 billion, while Rs.2.8 billion are expected to be received from the own power generation. Besides, Rs35.35 billion is expected from foreign project assistance, while under the head of miscellaneous generations the province is expected to receive Rs720 million.
About the expected expenditure for the fiscal year 2014-15, the budgetary documents said that provincial government proposed Rs404.8 billion for expenditures. With 21 percent increase from previous year, education sector would get Rs80.72billion, health Rs25.23billion with 11 per cent increase, Rs28.53 billion for police department, Rs3.2 billion irrigation, Rs2.17 billion technical education, Rs3.14 agriculture, Rs1.65 billion environment and forest, Rs5.26 billion communications, Rs30.8 billion for pension, Rs2.71 for wheat subsidy, and Rs13.9 billion for paying markup on loans.
Sirajur Haq said that allied government has divided provincial government in three different categories including welfare, administrative and developmental. “For next fiscal year, we have allocated Rs219.56 billion as a welfare budget, Rs54.30 administrative and Rs139billion as developmental budget,” he said.
About the salaries, he announced a 10 percent raise in government employees’ salaries which they would receive from July 1, 2014, medical for Grade-1-15 employees increased by 20pc, conveyance allowances for Grade-1-15 by 5 per cent, while one premature increment for Grade 1-4 employees proposed. Not only this, minimum pension has been increased from Rs 5000 to Rs 6000, while orderly allowance for retired BPS Grade-20 officers and above fixed at Rs12, 000.
The local government would receive Rs2.96 billion, animal husbandry Rs1.7 billion, wildlife Rs339.5 million, fishery Rs193 million, mineral Rs481 million, population welfare Rs1.27 billion, labour Rs213 million, social welfare and special education Rs1.11 billion, zakat and usher Rs153 million, Auqaf and religious Rs114 million, sports and tourism Rs231 million, grant to local councils Rs4.1 billion, housing Rs32million, inter provincial coordination department Rs32 million, energy and power department Rs63 million, transport Rs155 million, elementary and secondary education Rs73684 million, relief and rehabilitation Rs5648 million, and loan and advances Rs290million.
In addition, the provincial government has set aside Rs604 million for provincial assembly, Rs2070 million for general administration, Rs1.161 billion for home department, Rs1.300 billion for jails, Rs289.2 million for planning and development department, Rs535.09 million for excise and taxation, Rs2.669 billion for finance department and Rs3.925billion for revenue department, the budgetary document added.