Balochistan Assembly Passes Key Tax Bills Amid Legislative Reforms

On Monday, the Balochistan Assembly passed two important legislative measures, the Balochistan Tax on Land and Agricultural Income Amendment Bill and the Balochistan Civil Servants Amendment Bill, as part of the ongoing legal reforms in the province.

The session, which was delayed by 30 minutes, was chaired by Deputy Speaker Ghazala Gola. Parliamentary Secretary Barkat Ali Rind presented the report on the land and agricultural tax bill on behalf of the Standing Committee on the Board of Revenue. Provincial Minister Mir Asim Kurd Gelo later introduced the amended tax bill, which was approved by the assembly despite opposition from Maulana Hidayat-ur-Rehman, who described the bill as a colonial-era law.

Following this, Rind presented the Standing Committee on Finance's report on the Balochistan Civil Servants Amendment Bill, which was introduced by Provincial Minister Mir Shoaib Nosherwani and also passed by the assembly.

With this development, Balochistan joins Sindh as the last two provinces to introduce agricultural income tax legislation, following the earlier implementation in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Meanwhile, in Sindh, the assembly has approved a revised agricultural income tax structure, which includes higher taxes for agricultural incomes above Rs5.6 million annually, with a maximum rate of 45%. The bill also taxes corporate farming, with smaller farm companies paying a 20% tax, and larger firms taxed at 29%. Agricultural incomes up to Rs600,000 will remain exempt. The Sindh Revenue Board will manage the collection of taxes. This move is in line with Pakistan’s commitments to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), as acknowledged by Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah