Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari says Sindh sets record tax amid federal challenges

KARACHI (Dunya News) – Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said that Sindh understands the federal government’s difficulties and achieved a record tax collection this year.

Speaking at an NICVD ceremony in Karachi, he said that after Jinnah Hospital, the NICVD has become another outstanding example of excellence, made possible only through effective public-private partnerships.

He praised Karachi’s philanthropic spirit, stating that the city’s residents “own this city,” and that Karachi has the largest charity community in Pakistan, with the highest number of benefactors.

Bilawal said that following the 18th Amendment, significant progress was made in the health sector in Sindh. Transferring financial resources to provinces was not a mistake, he added, with NICVD being the best example. He criticised certain federal ministers who, he said, want to take resources away from provinces.

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He noted that both Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa also collected more tax than the FBR, proving that provinces can run major institutions without federal support. Sindh, he added, is willing to help the federation by collecting taxes to ease its financial burden.

He criticised a former prime minister for repeatedly claiming that the federation had gone bankrupt, emphasising that federal challenges are shared by all. After the 18th Amendment, provinces took over sales tax collection, and Sindh has now surpassed all FBR records.

Bilawal said Sindh is ready to collect additional taxes for the federation and will hand over the revenue to the centre. “If we fail to meet the federal target, we will achieve it using our own resources,” he said.

He added that in 2024, around 84,000 patients from Balochistan, 16,000 from KP, and more than 35,000 from Punjab received free treatment at NICVD.