ISLAMABAD: Former chairman Senate Raza Rabbani has opposed any legislation on provincial autonomy or fiscal autonomy at the behest of the IMF, saying that the fixation of targets for provinces by the IMF is not acceptable.
“The dictation of primary surplus and revenue targets by the IMF clearly shows that the National Assembly will act as a rubber stamp for an IMF budget,” he said in a statement on Thursday. He warned that the Benazir Income Support Programme is a red line, any tinkering with it will have serious consequences. “If the government insists on playing with provincial incomes, rights and autonomy, political parties should desist from supporting the budget,” he said, adding that let all tax collection be done by the provinces and the federal government be given its share.
