Sheikh Rashid announces Rs10 'dam tax' on railway tickets
When asked why were people being forced to pay out of their own pockets instead of the ministry making the contributions itself, he said: 'The Sheikhs always make such decisions'
September 09, 2018
LAHORE: Sheikh Rasheed announced Saturday night that a new tax worth Rs1-10, varying according to different ticket prices, would be added to the price of train tickets as the Ministry of Railways' contribution towards the dam-building fund.
The federal minister was speaking here at a deal-signing event where the Ministry of Railways and the Jamshoro Power Company Limited (GENCO-I) made an agreement on coal supply.
The additional money generated through the 'dam tax', which Rasheed estimated to be valued at Rs100 million annually, would be handed over to the dam-building fund, led by Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, the chief justice of Pakistan.
"Railway will donate Rs100 million to the dam fund annually," he tweeted.
"The price of a Rs100 ticket will be hiked by Rs1 in order to collect money for the dam fund."
In today's world, "if a beggar is given Rs10, they would throw it away," the minister said. "So this would become the Ministry of Railways' contribution to the dam fund."
When asked as to why people were being forced to pay out of their own pockets instead of the ministry itself, he said: "I'm Sheikh Rasheed, not Malik Riaz, the Sheikhs always make such decisions."
On a separate note, Rasheed welcomed the fact that Pakistan's civil and military leadership were on one page. He also noted that the employment tenure of information technology industry's contract officers was being extended by a year.
In response to a journalist's question about his marriage, the 67-year-old said there was no truth to such rumours.
—Additional reporting by Amin Hafeez
