BY: ANI Correspondent:
ISLAMABAD—The Senate Standing Committee on Finance, chaired by Senator Saleem Mandviwalla, reviewed issues relating to banking services, investment policies, electricity bill taxes, Senate Secretariat employees, and bank dress code policies during its meeting on Tuesday.
The committee discussed complaints regarding difficulties faced by customers, particularly Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs), in dealing with commercial banks. MNA Muhammad Moin Amir Pirzada informed the committee that his bank account had been closed without satisfactory response despite repeated correspondence. State Bank Governor assured the committee that a dedicated focal person would be appointed to address such complaints.
The committee also reviewed investment protection policies, while a private member’s bill moved by Senator Manzoor Ahmed was deferred after discussion.
Discussing taxes collected through electricity bills, Chairman FBR informed the committee that Rs476 billion had been collected, including Rs351 billion in sales tax and Rs124 billion in adjustable withholding income tax, rejecting reports suggesting otherwise as baseless.
The committee directed AGPR to resolve the issue of revised payslips for Senate Secretariat employees within seven days, warning that failure to comply would result in referral to the Senate Privileges Committee.
The committee also discussed complaints regarding dress code instructions in certain banks. Senator Dr. Zarqa Suharwardy Taimur raised concerns over alleged compulsory dress requirements for female employees, while Senator Sherry Rehman stressed that no employee should be forced to wear any specific attire. The State Bank was directed to issue updated guidelines and obtain HR dress code policies from all banks.
The committee further reviewed banking service charges, including SMS alert fees and card transactions. The State Bank informed members that SMS alerts are optional, domestic Visa card transactions are not charged in US dollars, and reforms under the Pakistan Remittance Initiative (PRI) are saving banks around Rs80 billion annually.
