Singer and social activist Shehzad Royal has requested the government to undo the book sales tax it has recently imposed, and restore teacher salary rebates.
Taking to his X (formerly Twitter) handle, the singer said that he also requested the Prime Minister and Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal to reinstate the 25 percent tax rebate for teachers.
Shehzad Roy tweeted, “I have spoken with the Prime Minister @CMShehbaz & planning Minister Ahsan iqbal @betterpakistan sahab & requested to reverse the 10 percent sales tax on books and reinstate the 25 percent tax rebate for teachers. They both reassured me that they will reconsider this decision with a favorable outcome.”
The federal government, through the Finance Bill 2024, removed tax rebates for full-time teachers and researchers which created panic in the education sector. The proposal was aimed at teachers at both private and public education institutions.
The Finance Bill proposes a 10 percent sales tax on books, with the condition that any refund of excess input tax would not be allowed. When the International Monetary Fund (IMF) wants Pakistan to tax stationery products, which include books, pens, paper, sticky notes, and similar material, it is uncertain if the government would remove this tax rate.
