The office-bearers of Hyderabad Chamber of Small Traders and Small Industry have termed the Budget 2017-2018 as balanced, adding the federal finance minister had tried to provide relief to common man. President HCSTSI Muhammad Akram Ansari has termed the enhancing of tax on betel leaf, nuts, cigarette and cosmetics a good decision adding that these things are not the basic needs of the common people.

The government has initiated a good step for relaxing the taxes as well as making the loan obtaining procedure more easy. The announcement of allowances and pension, Shuhda Package, house building loans with easy procedure and fixation of minimum wage of Rs 15,000 are appreciable efforts of the government, he added. The Senior Vice President Sikandar Ali Rajput congratulated the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar for providing subsidy to power users of energising under 300 units, reduction in import duty on hybrid cars and cellular phones as well as sales tax on telephone calls.

These efforts of the government would provide relief to common men of the country, he added. The Vice President Doulat Ram Lohana said that Budget 2017-2018 had been prepared while realising the general elections and it was a election-based budget to facilitate the common people.

He said that 10 percent rise in the salaries of government employees and 20 percent in salaries of armed forces, allocation of huge chunk for agriculture and poultry farming development and fixing of minimum wage of Rs 15000 are appreciable efforts of the government, however the sward remain opened upon the non filers which could affect the business of small traders. The industrial sector has received no special relief in the annual budget while fixation of taxes on various goods could also affect the life of common people, he said. The members executive committee Saleemuddin Qureshi and Nadim Ahmed Siddiqui also termed the Budget 2017-2018 a peoples friendly budget.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2017