LAHORE   -   General Secretary of People’s Party Central Punjab, Hassan Murtaza while reacting to the federal and provincial budget said that PPP have severe reservations on the budget, but we are not in favor of disturbing the state affairs. In a statement issued here, People’s Party will protest in the National Assembly against the budget in a democratic manner. He said government’s top priority should have been to provide maximum relief to the people. Instead, they gave relief to the salaried class with one hand and took it back with the other by increasing taxes. He further said that no comprehensive national policy has been formulated for agriculture. Hassan Murtaza also said government failed to announce austerity measures in the federal budget. Young people, women, and farmers have been equally neglected in the budget. Murtaza said that the budget should have been people-friendly and poverty-reducing, not dictated by the IMF. The salaried class has been sacrificed in the budget before Eid. A 25% increase in basic salary has been accompanied by a 15% increase in taxes. The increase in sales tax will make hundreds of items, including sugar, ghee, and medicines, more expensive. PPP has been raising his voice against load shedding and water scarcity for days, but the government is not listening. Like the federal government, the provincial government has also failed to build trust with allied parties on the budget. People’s Party has high hopes from Maryam Nawaz, let’s see how she will fulfill the expectations of the people and our party.