PTI Kisan Wing opposes Punjab’s new agricultural tax plan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Punjab Kisan Wing General Secretary Ejaz Shafi has criticised the Punjab government’s 2026-27 agriculture budget, calling it a measure that would place additional pressure on farmers already facing mounting input costs.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Shafi said the provincial administration had opted to levy more taxes and charges at a time when growers were already dealing with higher electricity tariffs, costly fertilisers and elevated diesel prices. He described the budget as anti-farmer and said it would further strain an already troubled agricultural community.

Shafi particularly objected to the government’s decision to introduce a flat agricultural tax of Rs1,000 per acre on landholdings exceeding 12.5 acres. He said the move would hit small and medium-scale farmers the hardest, arguing that the revised structure would increase their burden instead of providing relief.

According to Shafi, the earlier tax slabs were lower and varied by landholding size. He said farmers with holdings between 12.5 and 25 acres had previously paid Rs300 per acre, those owning 25 to 50 acres paid Rs400 per acre, while landowners with more than 50 acres were charged Rs500 per acre.