T HIS is apropos the letter `Taxing pensioners` (June 13). Like the writer, I too am one such unfortunate pensioner whodedicated his life, talent, energies and youth in serving a textile group and while doing so considered it a national duty and moral obligation to pay income tax.

Now, in the twilight of my life, I am still paying income tax. Whenever I collect my Rs 5,250 monthly EOBI pension, I wonder what a paltry return for all those years of paying income tax, especially when those who never bothered to pay, are getting the same pension.

It is sad that those who evaded paying income tax accumulated wealth to construct property and make assets that they are free from financial worries.

TheEOBIpensionisnotevenenoughto pay for a single visit to the doctor. Once I retire from my present job, which one day I will, my employer will not provide me with any financial assistance. It is unfortunate that capitalists amass wealth on the back of the hard work of their employees, who get nothing except Rs 5,250 per month.

I believe the EOBI pension should be calculated on the basis of the income tax paid. This will result in bringing non-filers of income tax in the private sector into the tax net. Also the government should make it mandatory for private industrial units to implement the internationally-recognised norms of paying pensions and other benefits to employees.

Septuagenarian tax payer Lahore (2) ONCE again the 2017-18 budget has ignored the plight of pensioners. Retired government servants who are all senior citizenshave been treated as underdogs since they are supposed to be a spent force.

Most of them have served the nation diligently and honestly and now in their old age it is the time for them to be in a comfort zone of relaxation and leisure. But many of them are neither enjoying financial comfort nor a healthy lifestyle owing to their old age and financial constraints for medical treatment.

Thebudgetannouncedbythennance minister increases the salaries of the serving federel government of ficials by 10pc af ter merging two ad-hoc increments into their salaries, which ef fectively makes the raise in their salary by around 20pc. As against this, the retired government employees have only been given anincrease of10pc on their actual pension, excluding the admissible allowances like medical allowance and orderly allowance.

In view of the present hyperinflation, the 10pc increase is wholly washed out by the increase in the prices of daily use, life-saving drugs, etc. In a nutshell, the pensioners have once again been given a raw deal.

Z. Ahmed Islamabad