{"id":19686,"date":"2026-06-21T16:11:16","date_gmt":"2026-06-21T16:11:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.peakpoint.pk\/en\/2026\/06\/21\/aviation-relief-equal-airline-support\/"},"modified":"2026-06-21T16:11:16","modified_gmt":"2026-06-21T16:11:16","slug":"aviation-relief-equal-airline-support","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.peakpoint.pk\/en\/2026\/06\/21\/aviation-relief-equal-airline-support\/","title":{"rendered":"Aviation relief debate pushes for equal airline support"},"content":{"rendered":"

The National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue has raised concern over any move that would give Pakistan International Airlines a special fiscal edge, saying the government should apply aviation relief<\/strong> in a fair and sector-wide manner. Members argued that selective concessions could distort competition and put domestic operators on unequal footing at a time when the entire aviation industry is under pressure.<\/p>\n

Chairman Syed Naveed Qamar said fiscal policy must remain transparent, balanced and free from any impression of favoritism. He stressed that support measures should follow a clear framework and be extended equally to all eligible airline operators rather than being limited to one carrier alone.<\/p>\n

The committee recommended a sector-neutral approach and suggested that equivalent fiscal concessions and incentives should be made available to all qualifying airlines from July 1, 2027. Members said such a step would create a more level playing field, improve investor confidence and support healthier competition in the aviation market.<\/p>\n

Lawmakers noted that while revival support for the national carrier may be necessary, other domestic airlines are also facing serious financial and operational strain. They warned that policy decisions should not send the message that one company is being singled out for preferential treatment.<\/p>\n

The committee was meeting at Parliament House to complete its clause-by-clause review of the Finance Bill, 2026. During the detailed proceedings, members approved several changes aimed at strengthening transparency, accountability, due process and the protection of taxpayers\u2019 rights.<\/p>\n

One important amendment concerns freezing orders against property held by third parties. Under the new safeguard, such an order cannot be issued unless the Special Judge records written reasons and gives the affected person a chance to be heard. The committee, however, allowed an exception where immediate action is required to stop assets from being moved or concealed.<\/p>\n

Members also approved a proposal allowing the Independent Case Scrutiny Committee to co-opt a Chartered Accountant as a non-voting member in technically complex matters. The committee said expert input can improve the quality of decisions in difficult tax and financial cases.<\/p>\n

Another amendment endorsed by the committee excludes the approval period when calculating statutory limitation and removes unnecessary sub-clauses to make the law clearer and easier to apply.<\/p>\n

The debate also turned to the taxation of mobile phones, where members strongly objected to added taxes on selected smartphone brands. They said smartphones are no longer luxury items and are now basic digital tools used for education, online payments, e-commerce, freelancing, e-governance and employment opportunities.<\/p>\n

Lawmakers warned that excessive taxation on phones could slow Pakistan\u2019s Digital Pakistan vision by making devices less affordable for students, workers, freelancers and small businesses. The committee recommended rationalizing taxes, especially on entry-level and mid-range smartphones, to support broader digital access and compliance.<\/p>\n

The committee also reviewed the proposed tax mechanism for the steel sector. Officials explained that electricity consumption benchmarks of 700 units per metric ton for steel melting and 110 units per metric ton for steel re-rolling are already written into law and linked to Pakistan Bureau of Statistics data. Members asked for more clarity on the benchmarks and compliance ratios, saying tax rules should be scientific, objective and consistent.<\/p>\n

Throughout the meeting, Syed Naveed Qamar said lawmaking should never be rushed at the cost of precision. He cautioned against last-minute amendments without proper technical review and parliamentary scrutiny, saying such changes can create confusion and weaken implementation.<\/p>\n

Over several sessions, the committee received briefings from the Federal Board of Revenue, Ministry of Finance, National Tariff Commission, Ministry of Industries, Ministry of Commerce and other stakeholders. It reviewed proposals linked to income tax, sales tax, customs, federal excise, tariff reforms, petroleum levy, digital taxation, banking data sharing, compliance systems and sector-specific incentives.<\/p>\n

Members assessed each proposal for its economic impact, practicality, effect on taxpayers\u2019 rights, transparency and wider consequences for consumers, businesses, exporters and the investment climate. Qamar repeatedly stressed that broadening the tax base should take priority over placing more pressure on those already paying taxes.<\/p>\n

The committee concluded that fiscal measures must be practical, fair and capable of delivering their stated goals. It called for phased implementation of major reforms, stronger oversight, better accountability, improved consumer protection and a predictable tax system that supports long-term economic growth.<\/p>\n

During the proceedings, Dr. Sharmila Faruqui submitted a note of dissent on electric vehicle policy, while Muhammad Javed Hanif raised objections to the existing taxation structure on imported mobile phones. The meeting was attended by members of the committee as well as finance, commerce, industries and tax officials.<\/p>\n

By the end of the session, the committee reaffirmed its position that a balanced Finance Bill is essential for protecting taxpayers\u2019 rights, restoring confidence in the system and supporting Pakistan\u2019s economic stability, including a fair and competitive aviation sector through equitable aviation relief<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Aviation relief debate grows as lawmakers urge equal airline support and fair fiscal concessions across Pakistan’s aviation sector.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":19685,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[94],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19686","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pakistan"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.peakpoint.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19686","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.peakpoint.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.peakpoint.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peakpoint.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peakpoint.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19686"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.peakpoint.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19686\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peakpoint.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19685"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.peakpoint.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19686"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peakpoint.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19686"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peakpoint.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19686"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}