In the wake of the Murree snowfall tragedy that resulted in the deaths of several tourists, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf (PTI) has landed itself in hot waters once again in lieu of the mini-budget and its upcoming inflation bomb on the helpless Pakistani public.  According to Baaghi TV reports, the purpose of the mini-budget being presented by the PTI govt is to ensure timely payment of upcoming installments of the International Monetary Funds (IMF) loans. However, as usual, the PTI government has failed to levy taxes where needed instead they have focused on surcharging milk among other essential products.  Health Levy Bill: In 2019, the Cabinet approved of a Health Levy Bill that would have raised prices of every 20 cigarette packs by Rs. 10 and of every 25 ml sugary drinks by Rs. 1. At the time, it was estimated that the bill would generate up to Rs.55 billion in revenue to sustain healthcare projects under the leadership of the ruling PTI government. According to reports at the time, the serving Prime Minister and former cricketer, Imran Khan, had heavily endorsed the idea of levying health taxes in several official meetings. However, the bill was absent from the 2019-2020 budget, … Continue reading PTI’s fading façade: Health Levy Bill need of the hour!