Dr Abdul Wahid Soomro (MNA Pakistan Peoples Party)

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Government is likely to impose five per cent flood surcharge on the people to help flood victims.
Spokesperson Federal Board of Revenue Israr Rauf told a private a news channel on Wednesday that the surcharge will be imposed on people who were paying taxes on their income.
“There would not be any new tax in the form of flood tax it would rather be imposed as a surcharge to help the flood affectees”, he said.
He said that the government of Pakistan in collaboration with World Bank and Asian Development Bank is working on demand need assessment report in to determine the exact situation of damage in the country.
The report is expected to be completed in the 2nd month of the present month adding that when the exact ratio of damages would be revealed Government would try to cover the loss by utilizing foreign donations and its own revenue in the rehabilitation process but if the gap remains between estimated amount of relief and revenue then flood relief surcharge would be imposed on people.

LAHORE: Speaking to media representatives outside the Punjab Assembly, Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah said that if the assembly approved the flood tax then it would be imposed. 
 
He further said that Pervez Musharraf's statement regarding training militants amounted to treason.
 
Sanaullah further said that Law Minister Babar Awan was passing incorrect information to higher authorities and was misguiding the government. 
 
Separately, Punjab Governor Salman Taseer welcomed the resolution on Kalabagh Dam passed yesterday in the Punjab Assembly. 
 
He urged the Punjab government to contact the other three provinces upon the matter.
Taseer further urged all political parties to get united and hammer out a strategy to build the dam.
He said the dam’s construction would generate electricity for the power-starved country apart from averting flooding.
Sources