Islamabad : The meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue was held in Islamabad under the chairmanship of Senator Saleem Mandviwalla. The meeting was attended by Senator Muhammad Abdul Qadir, while Senators Farooq H. Naek and Anusha Rahman Ahmad Khan participated via Zoom. The Minister of State for Finance and Revenue, Chairman FBR, Presidents of Meezan Bank, HBL, and Habib Bank, along with representatives of telecom companies (TELCOs), were also present.
Responding to public concerns regarding additional charges imposed by banks for the use of mobile banking applications, the Chairman of the Pakistan Banks Association informed the Committee that there are two types of charges. One is mandatory, imposed by the State Bank of Pakistan for banking SMS services, while the other is applied for services availed by customers with their consent. It was further stated that the banking sector is paying approximately Rs. 25.6 billion to telecom companies for these services, while generating around Rs. 18.7 billion annually in return and bearing loss of Rs. 6.9 billion. The Committee was also informed that TELCOs charges have increased by 88% since 2018. Representatives of telecom companies stated that each cellular provider approximately charging Rs. 3.40 per SMS for banking-related messages.
The Chairman Committee directed the relevant stakeholders to submit detailed data on the number of customers affected by mandatory SMS banking charges, along with the total number of customers availing additional SMS services by consent. The Committee also directed to submit the detailed information regarding the charges each bank is paying to telecom companies.
The Committee further discussed the issue of non-provision of the budget honorarium announced by the Finance Minister to the medical and PTV staff deputed at Parliament House during the budget session. The Chairman Committee recommended that the matter be immediately referred to the Finance Minister for approval; otherwise, the Committee warned of action against non-compliance.
The matter of salary increments for university faculty members and professors was also taken up. The Committee was informed that university staff have been deprived of salary increases for the past ten years. The Committee termed this situation as a clear injustice to the staff. The Minister of State for Finance and Revenue assured that the matter would be taken up with the relevant authorities and a report would be submitted within 15 days.
The Committee also took up the matter raised by the Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry regarding the classification of polyurethane (PU) leather. Pakistan Customs briefed the Committee that PU material falls under the category of textiles rather than leather, as it contains fabric backing on one side and the importer is liable to pay the taxes as per the prescribed category. Whereas, the representatives of Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry informed that it is a type of leather not fabric and demanded to be treated under the relevant law for the import of leather. The Chairman FBR advised the affected parties to file an appeal with Member Policy, FBR, for further consideration and direction. The Committee endorsed the recommendation of the Chairman FBR.
