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ADB mission due by month-end to discuss farm tax reforms

ISLAMABAD: An Asian Development Bank evaluation mission will visit Pakistan at the end of this month to discuss reforms in agricultural taxation, in particular wealth tax on farm land.

Sources in the Federal government told Fortuna here on Monday that this visit is part of Agriculture Programme Loan providing fast disbursing assistance of $200 million to the Government of Pakistan to assist in implementing a number of reforms in the agriculture sector.

They said the ADB funding programme was completed in 1995. As a part of its regular work the ADB office of Operational Evaluation now has to carry out an evaluation of the implementation and impact of the programme. For that purpose, sources said, an ADB mission comprising Yuen Loh Yee, senior evaluation specialists and a staff consultant will visit Pakistan from February 28 to March 14.

Sources said ADB evaluation mission members will visit the Secretary, Food, Agriculture and Livestock, Dr Zafar Altaf, on Tuesday February 29, at 11 a.m. at his office to discuss various issues including deregulation of fertilizer imports and distribution and reform in agriculture taxation, particularly wealth tax on agriculture land.

They said funding for combating water-logging and salinity, prioritisation of investment in agriculture, wheat support pricing, decrease in consumer subsidies on wheat flour, de-regulation of the edible industry and promotion of domestic oil seed production, promotion of fruit and vegetable exports and improvements in irrigation cost recovery will also come under discussion during the meeting. Fortuna