Sindh Assembly passes Rs3.652tr budget, rejects 1,600 cut motions

KARACHI: The Sindh Assembly on Sunday night approved a Rs3.652 trillion budget for the 2026-27 financial year after voting down 1,600 cut motions submitted by opposition members. The House also cleared supplementary grants worth Rs165 billion.

Lawmakers also passed the Sindh Finance Bill, which does not introduce any new taxes. Instead, the provincial government revised and streamlined the existing tax structure, including changes in certain tax rates and adjustments to the provincial tax net.

Opposition motions voted down

During the budget session, the opposition moved a cut motion against the allocation for the National Games. Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah opposed the proposal, and the House rejected it.

Another cut motion related to the film Mera Lyari. Opposing the proposal, the chief minister said Sindh was the first province to produce a film and that Mera Lyari projected a positive image of the province. The assembly rejected that motion as well.

Finance Bill amendment rejected

While the Finance Bill was under consideration, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan lawmaker Sabir Qaimkhani presented an amendment seeking to impose an 8% super tax on annual agricultural income of Rs50 million.

Murad Ali Shah opposed the amendment, saying the federal government had also reduced the super tax on agricultural income because people engaged in agriculture generally did not earn such high incomes. The assembly did not approve the proposal.

The Finance Bill includes revisions to a range of tax rates and broader changes to the provincial tax framework. After the budget and the Finance Bill were passed, the Sindh Assembly session was adjourned.