• ‘Kickstart’ meeting to be held later this month
• FBR chief puts total income tax gap at Rs1.7tr; claims collection from retailers has increased
• Power minister vows shift towards automatic metering, pre-paid billing

ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on Monday said that discussion on ending the protection of provincial shares in the federal divisible pool resources would take place at the upcoming meeting of the National Finance Commission (NFC).

“The entire discussion will take place at the kickstart meeting of the NFC, which is the [relevant] constitutional forum,” he replied at a news conference, when asked about PPP Chairman Bilawal Zardari-Bhutto’s statement regarding the removal of protection for provinces over their NFC shares, and the transfer of population and education back to the Centre.

The minister said this meeting would be convened later this month, after being postponed at the last minute due to floods in September.

He did not announce a date for the first NFC meeting, which is tentatively planned for Nov 17.

Many responsibilities in the federal domain, including population, health, education, and other social sectors, were devolved to the provinces under the 18th Constitution Amendment........

© Dawn Business