Tax Revenue from Alcohol should be spent on Minorities : Akram Masih

[sparklingway]

Minority MNA renders govt speechless
Saturday, June 12, 2010
By Asim Yasin

ISLAMABAD: Minority MNA Akram Masih Gill made the government speechless as he posed a question in the National Assembly on Friday if alcohol was illegal, how the earning from taxes on it could be legal.

“The amount collected through excise duty on the sale of alcohol should be spent on the minorities,” he said in his budget speech. Akram Masih Gill expressed his dismay over the meagre amount of Rs150 million earmarked for the Minorities Welfare Funds in the budget and staged a walkout from the House.

Akram Masih Gill expressed concern over ignoring the Christian community and called upon the government to pay attention on the resolution of the socio-economic problems being faced by them.

He urged the government to provide special funds to the deserving Christians from Pakistan Baitul Maal besides enhancing allocations for them.He also drew the attention of the House to the prime minister’s commitment of 5 percent quota of jobs in the government departments for the minorities, which was not being followed.

Meanwhile, Maulana Asmatullah recited ‘Azan’ for Friday prayers in the National Assembly. Though the Azan had already been recited yet he came late and protested that the Azan was not heard in the NA so he was reciting it.

 

[Gin ka Pakistan]

If minorities are consuming it the most

 

[Nahraf]

I think more Muslims in Pakistan consume alcohol than non-Muslims. I have seen people who pray and have performed umra and haj drinking alcohol. You use the tax money to do good like build schools and hospitals. I think there are many non-Muslims in Pakistan that do not drink. Associating alcohol with with Christians is dangerous and Akram Masih Gill should have known better.

 

[Dr.Evil]

I think more Muslims in Pakistan consume alcohol than non-Muslims. I have seen people who pray and have performed umra and haj drinking alcohol. You use the tax money to do good like build schools and hospitals. I think there are many non-Muslims in Pakistan that do not drink. Associating alcohol with with Christians is dangerous and Akram Masih Gill should have known better.

The question is about the legality of the money earned.

Its illegal to consume alcohol by Muslims and prohibited by law. ( If any muslims consume it then its illegal on their part ). The point senator was making is - If consumption is illegal by muslims why should the money earned on alcohol be spent on the muslims, which becomes illegal aswell.

 

[Materialistic]

He din't clarify minorities, it can be both on ethnic and religious basis and also its just prohibited to Muslims but still many Muslims drink in Pakistan and the religious minorities are so small that even in the total count for alcoholic consumption, Muslims are the major consumers.

Instead, it should be declared as being spent on any specific cause or a group of people being identified on needs.

As alcohol is haram so the revenue generated from it no matter spent by Muslims or Non-Muslims becomes haram for a Muslims state and the last resort for such an income is defense by our religion.

But since we already have a large amount of budgets for defense this small amount should be diverted to the most deserving or needy group of people, otherwise the best solution would be to spend it on campaigns to prevent people from using Tobacco and Alcohol, because whatever the religion is, both these things are a serious health hazard to a human being.

 

[PlanetWarrior]

Leaves me confused. By that logic , should all the moneys confiscated from criminals and fines paid by criminals only be spent on criminals then ?

 

[Materialistic]

Leaves me confused. By that logic , should all the moneys confiscated from criminals and fines paid by criminals only be spent on criminals then ?

Confiscated money is different from revenue earned from a haram thing. Fines and confiscated assets are a method of punishment and taking away the assets from an un-deserving owners, so this becomes halal and a duty on governments end and such an income can be used anywhere.

And by that logic, it would go as, "Confiscated money to be spent on prevention of crime, strengthening of law and reinforcement agencies and reimbursing the innocent victims."

 

[PlanetWarrior]

Confiscated money is different from revenue earned from a haram thing. Fines and confiscated assets are a method of punishment and taking away the assets from an un-deserving owners, so this becomes halal and a duty on governments end and such an income can be used anywhere.

And by that logic, it would go as, "Confiscated money to be spent on prevention of crime, strengthening of law and reinforcement agencies and reimbursing the innocent victims."

Point well noted and well taken. Perhaps I misread the thread but from my reading of it, the Senator suggested that taxes generated on alchohol (which initself leaves me confused since I would presume that Pakistan being an Islamic Republic would have banned alchohol) should be spent on the minorities who consume alcholol and are therefore the cause of the taxes. The issue that such taxes are haraam is another issue altogether.

 

[Materialistic]

Yup, haram-halal applies to both individual and governmental earnings. You are right on the point of senator but on point senator himself si wrong and that is that Muslims are still the major consumers of Alcohol.

 

[Desertfalcon]

Why is alcohol legal to begin with? I would think it shouldn't be in a predominately Muslim country.

 

[forcetrip]

Why is alcohol legal to begin with? I would think it shouldn't be in a predominately Muslim country.

Its only legal for minorities to consume. It is like in california you can get presciption weed. Same situation here. Minorities get an id card that they can use to purchase alcohol. Lets not talk about how the system really works, just how the system is setup to work.

 

[M8R]

Why is alcohol legal to begin with? I would think it shouldn't be in a predominately Muslim country.

It is legal for minorities only (Christians, Hindus etc).It is also available for Muslims (not legal though) because of Don't Ask, Don't tell policy.

 

[T-Faz]

Alchohol consumption in Pakistan is very high, alcohol was legal until the late 70s. Here is a link to alcohol consumption in Pakistan by World Heath Organization (WHO).

http://www.who.int/substance_abuse/publications/en/pakistan.pdf

In my opinion it should be legalized again, we were Muslims back then too and it did not make a difference when it was legal. Today however many people produce their own or buy from dubious sellers that causes much harm to them.

Alcohol deaths spotlight Pakistan's drinking culture - Monsters and Critics

 

[M8R]

I totally agree with the Senator!

 

[Nahraf]

Both Alcohol and Cannabis (Opium, Marijuana, etc.) is illegal in Islam. But it has not stopped Taliban and other from growing, manufacturing, distributing and smuggling illegal drugs. In any case, taxes from Alcohol and drugs can be spent by the government for all Pakistanis.