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Business Recorder
a day ago
- Business
- Business Recorder
Pakistan salaried class rejects govt's claim of giving relief in income tax
Representatives of the Salaried Class Alliance of Pakistan (SCAP) said on Thursday the government had done a 'number juggling' and given almost no relief in income tax to the salaried individuals in the budget proposals for the fiscal year 2025-26. In a press conference at the Karachi Press Club on Thursday, they pointed out that the tax authorities have targeted to collect Rs540 billion in income tax from employees working in regulated sectors in FY26, compared to Rs550 billion to be received in the outgoing FY25. 'The Rs10 billion relief to the entire working class nationwide is a so-called relief. This is number juggling,' said Bilal Farooq Rizvi, a member of the SCAP. 'We reject the government's claim of relief to the salaried class people (in the budget 2025-26),' he said. According to the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) reports, the income tax collection from salaried class people would be Rs550 billion in FY25, higher by Rs112 billion compared to FBR's set target for the outgoing year. Numbers speak: Sindh agriculturalists spend more on vehicle registration, pay less in income tax According to the budget proposals for FY26, the tax rate for those earning Rs600,001 to Rs1.2 million has been slashed to 2.5% from 5%. Individuals earning between Rs1.2 million and Rs2.2 million will pay 11%, down from 15%, along with a drop in the fixed tax component from Rs30,000 to Rs6,000. For the Rs2.2 million to Rs3.2 million bracket, the rate has been reduced to 23% from 25%, and the fixed tax lowered from Rs180,000 to Rs116,000. For those earning above Rs3.2 million annually, the rates remain unchanged. The 30% tax on incomes up to Rs4.1 million and 35% for those earning more continues. However, fixed taxes for the two slabs have been reduced to Rs346,000 and Rs616,000 from Rs430,000 and Rs700,000 respectively. A slight relief has also been provided in the form of a 1 percentage point cut in the surcharge, down to 9% from 10% for individuals earning more than Rs10 million a year. Adeel Khan, another SCAP member, claimed 'the income tax collection from salaried people has jumped 7 to 8-time in the past 3 to 4-year, increasing to Rs550 billion in FY25 compared to Rs70-80 billion a few years ago.' Budget 2025-26: Pakistan govt offers tax relief to salaried class, but representatives unhappy The government has targeted salaried class people to achieve the FBR tax collection target of Rs14.1 trillion in FY26, 'as it knows this is the soft target and they will not restore to violent protests and sit-ins and will neither block roads like political parties and shopkeepers do to get their demands accepted,' he added. Khan said the government provided a meager relief of a maximum of Rs7,000 a month in income tax to the people appearing in middle income groups, reducing their monthly tax burden to merely 'Rs493,000 a month in FY26 from Rs500,000 a month paid in FY25'. The employees working in the formal sectors were given a minimum relief of only Rs20,000 a month in income tax to the people falling in the middle income brackets. 'The provided so-called relief is no relief. This would make almost no difference in our lives,' he said. SCAP member Iesha Fazal said, 'The provided relief is insignificant. This is tantamount to playing with the salaried class people. This is a joke. We reject it'. They appealed to the authorities concerned to reduce the income tax rates by at least 2.5% for all the taxable slabs, including the individuals falling in the upper income brackets. The government can still make changes in its proposals, as the Parliament is yet to give its official nod to the proposed budget and Finance Bill 2025. 'Pakistan salaried class paid 5 times more taxes than exporters, retailers in outgoing FY25' Another SCAP member Rizwan Hussain said they would file a case in a court of law to get the due relief in income tax if the government approved the proposed tax rates as it was in the Finance Bills 2025. He reiterated SCAP's old demand of removing the super tax completely, which the government reduced by 1% to 9% in the budget proposals for FY26. Hussain also demanded relief in taxes on investment in mutual funds and similar investment products FY26.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Yahoo
Educators seek to combat AI challenges in the classroom
Educators are reaching into their toolbox in an effort to adapt their instruction to a world where students can use ChatGPT to pull out a five-page essay in under an hour. Teachers are working to make artificial intelligence (AI) a force for good in the classroom instead of an easy way to cheat as they balance teaching the new technology with honing students' critical thinking skills. 'Even before the AI era, the most important grades that we'd give at the school that I led and when I was a teacher, were the in-class writing assignments,' said Adeel Khan, CEO and founder of MagicSchool and former school principal, noting the assignments worth the most are normally final exams or end-of-unit tests. Khan predicts those sorts of exams that have no access to AI will be weighted more heavily for students' grades in the future. 'So, if you're using AI for all of the formative assignments that are helping you practice to get to that final exam or that final writing test … then it's going to be really hard to do it when you don't have AI in those moments,' he added. The boom of generative AI began shortly after students got back in the classrooms after the pandemic, with educators going from banning ChatGPT in schools in 2023 to taking professional development courses on how to implement AI in assignments. President Trump recently signed an executive order to incorporate AI more into classrooms, calling it the technology of the future. The executive order aims to have schools work more closely with the private sector to implement programs and trainings regarding AI for teachers and students. 'The basic idea of this executive order is to ensure that we properly train the workforce of the future by ensuring that school children, young Americans, are adequately trained in AI tools, so that they can be competitive in the economy years from now into the future, as AI becomes a bigger and bigger deal,' White House staff secretary Will Scharf said. Dixie Rae Garrison, principal of West Jordan Middle School in Utah, describes herself as an early advocate for AI in schools. She said her classrooms have had 'an overwhelmingly positive experience' with the technology. Garrison remarked the problems with AI need to be resolved through innovative thinking, not passivity. 'There needs to be a shift from the types of questions we were asking students, so shifting away from repetitive exercises,' Garrison said, adding educators 'really have to think about the way that you're teaching students to write, the way that you're framing your questions.' One way her school has used AI to help students is by creating more avenues for pupils to study for exams such as the AP U.S. history test. Teachers are 'able to provide the students with more frequent opportunities to practice' by inputting the AP rubrics into a generative AI tool, leading the students to get feedback 'instantaneously' on their work. Another strategy used for preparing students to work with AI as well as lower concerns about cheating is to create collaborative projects. 'I think in the younger classes there is a shift towards project-based learning, and even homework is more sort of collaborative, which is harder to replicate' with AI, said Tara Chklovski, founder and CEO of Technovation. The integration of AI varies across the United States, with about 60 percent of principals reportedly using AI tools for their work, according to a survey by RAND, a research nonprofit. Among teachers, only 25 percent are using AI for their instructional planning or teaching, although English language arts and science instructors were twice as likely to use the technology than mathematics educators. Educators in higher poverty schools are also less likely to use AI and are more likely not to have guidance on AI implementation compared to lower poverty schools, according to RAND. The lack of guidance makes it even more difficult for educators as concerns of cheating with generative AI become louder. 'Pragmatically, on the ground, some teachers are shifting towards more short, oral questioning of students. … In fact, for some kids — I hear this from science teachers that I work with — the ability to ask kids questions orally, instead of writing on a test, helps reveal' they might know more 'than they would have been able to express on a written test,' said Bill Penuel, a professor at the University of Colorado Boulder. For many, it is still a challenge to balance the benefits of AI with the drawbacks in the classroom. Most educators don't want AI 'to be used as a shortcut for thinking, but they want people to be able to use it as a tool to help them solve problems, to give them feedback on things that they're working on and writing, maybe even support folks who are multilingual learners in classrooms,' Penuel said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
11-05-2025
- The Hill
Educators seek to combat AI challenges in the classroom
Educators are reaching into their toolbox in an effort to adapt their instruction to a world where students can use ChatGPT to pull out a five-page essay in under an hour. Teachers are working to make artificial intelligence (AI) a force for good in the classroom instead of an easy way to cheat as they balance teaching the new technology with honing students' critical thinking skills. 'Even before the AI era, the most important grades that we'd give at the school that I led and when I was a teacher, were the in-class writing assignments,' said Adeel Khan, CEO and founder of MagicSchool and former school principal, noting the assignments worth the most are normally final exams or end-of-unit tests. Khan predicts those sorts of exams that have no access to AI will be weighted more heavily for students' grades in the future. 'So, if you're using AI for all of the formative assignments that are helping you practice to get to that final exam or that final writing test … then it's going to be really hard to do it when you don't have AI in those moments,' he added. The boom of generative AI began shortly after students got back in the classrooms after the pandemic, with educators going from banning ChatGPT in schools in 2023 to taking professional development courses on how to implement AI in assignments. President Trump recently signed an executive order to incorporate AI more into classrooms, calling it the technology of the future. The executive order aims to have schools work more closely with the private sector to implement programs and trainings regarding AI for teachers and students. 'The basic idea of this executive order is to ensure that we properly train the workforce of the future by ensuring that school children, young Americans, are adequately trained in AI tools, so that they can be competitive in the economy years from now into the future, as AI becomes a bigger and bigger deal,' White House staff secretary Will Scharf said. Dixie Rae Garrison, principal of West Jordan Middle School in Utah, describes herself as an early advocate for AI in schools. She said her classrooms have had 'an overwhelmingly positive experience' with the technology. Garrison remarked the problems with AI need to be resolved through innovative thinking, not passivity. 'There needs to be a shift from the types of questions we were asking students, so shifting away from repetitive exercises,' Garrison said, adding educators 'really have to think about the way that you're teaching students to write, the way that you're framing your questions.' One way her school has used AI to help students is by creating more avenues for pupils to study for exams such as the AP U.S. history test. Teachers are 'able to provide the students with more frequent opportunities to practice' by inputting the AP rubrics into a generative AI tool, leading the students to get feedback 'instantaneously' on their work. Another strategy used for preparing students to work with AI as well as lower concerns about cheating is to create collaborative projects. 'I think in the younger classes there is a shift towards project-based learning, and even homework is more sort of collaborative, which is harder to replicate' with AI, said Tara Chklovski, founder and CEO of Technovation. The integration of AI varies across the United States, with about 60 percent of principals reportedly using AI tools for their work, according to a survey by RAND, a research nonprofit. Among teachers, only 25 percent are using AI for their instructional planning or teaching, although English language arts and science instructors were twice as likely to use the technology than mathematics educators. Educators in higher poverty schools are also less likely to use AI and are more likely not to have guidance on AI implementation compared to lower poverty schools, according to RAND. The lack of guidance makes it even more difficult for educators as concerns of cheating with generative AI become louder. 'Pragmatically, on the ground, some teachers are shifting towards more short, oral questioning of students. … In fact, for some kids — I hear this from science teachers that I work with — the ability to ask kids questions orally, instead of writing on a test, helps reveal' they might know more 'than they would have been able to express on a written test,' said Bill Penuel, a professor at the University of Colorado Boulder. For many, it is still a challenge to balance the benefits of AI with the drawbacks in the classroom. Most educators don't want AI 'to be used as a shortcut for thinking, but they want people to be able to use it as a tool to help them solve problems, to give them feedback on things that they're working on and writing, maybe even support folks who are multilingual learners in classrooms,' Penuel said.
Daily Express
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Express
‘Pakistan attacks repulsed'
Published on: Saturday, May 10, 2025 Published on: Sat, May 10, 2025 By: AFP Text Size: Motorcyclist rides past shattered glasses of a restaurant outside the Rawalpindi Cricket stadium after a drone was shot down in Rawalpindi. SRINAGAR: The death toll from India and Pakistan's biggest clashes in decades passed 50 on Friday with each country accusing the other of sending waves of drone attacks. The escalation between the nuclear-armed rivals follows an attack on tourists in the Indian-run part of disputed Kashmir that killed 26 people on April 22 and Indian air strikes on 'terrorist camps' on Wednesday. In the third day of tit-for-tat exchanges since, the Indian army that it 'repulsed' Pakistani attacks using drones and other munitions overnight and gave a 'befitting reply'. India also accused Pakistani forces on Thursday of targeting three military stations—two in Kashmir and one in the neighbouring state of Punjab. Pakistan's Information Minister Ataullah Tarar said Pakistan has 'not targeted any locations in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir, or across international border, so far'. Five civilians were killed including a two-year-old girl by Indian shelling overnight in areas along the heavily militarised Line of Control, Pakistani security and governments officials said. 'In response, the Pakistan Army carried out a strong counterattack, targeting three Indian posts across the Line of Control (LoC),' police official Adeel Khan, based in Kotli district where four of the deaths occurred, told AFP. Pakistani military sources said that its military had shot down 77 Indian drones in the last two days, claiming they were Israeli-made. In Indian-administered Kashmir, a police official said one woman died after heavy overnight shelling in Uri, some 100 kilometres (60 miles) from the state capital Srinagar, and two men were wounded. 'The youth of Kashmir will never forget this act of brutality by India,' said 15-year-old Muhammad Bilal in Muzaffarabad, the main city in Pakistan-administered Kashmir where a mosque was hit in Wednesday's strikes. In Indian-administered Jammu, Piyush Singh, a 21-year-old student, said: 'Our [attack] is justified because we are doing it for whatever happened to our civilians.' India and Pakistan have fought several wars over Kashmir which has been split since 1947 when British colonial rule ended and which both countries claim in full. Pakistan has rejected claims by India's government that it was behind last month's attack, calling for an independent investigation. Pakistani authorities insist they have the right to retaliate to India's initial strikes. In a late Wednesday TV address to the nation, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif warned they would 'avenge' those killed by Indian air strikes. On Friday schools were closed on both sides of the Pakistan and Indian border in Kashmir and Punjab, affecting tens of millions of children. India has also closed 24 airports, but according to local media the suspension on civilian flights may be lifted on Saturday morning. The Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket mega tournament was also suspended for a week, the Indian cricket board announced. This came after an IPL match was abandoned in Dharamsala, less than 200 kilometres (125 miles) from the town of Jammu, where explosions had been reported. The Pakistan Super League meanwhile was moved to the United Arab Emirates, after an Indian drone struck Rawalpindi stadium on Thursday. India has ordered X to block more than 8,000 accounts, the platform said, adding that it was reluctantly complying with what it described as government-imposed 'censorship'. The move appears to be part of India's sweeping crackdown targeting social media accounts of Pakistani politicians, celebrities and media organisations. American Vice President JD Vance has called for de-escalation, while underlining that Washington was 'not going to get involved in the middle of a war that's fundamentally none of our business'. Several countries have offered to mediate, and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in New Delhi on Thursday, days after visiting Pakistan. Diplomats and world leaders have pressured both countries for restraint. However, the International Crisis Group said 'foreign powers appear to have been somewhat indifferent' to the prospect of war, despite warnings of possible escalation. 'A combination of bellicose rhetoric, domestic agitation and the remorseless logic of military one-upmanship have heightened the risks of escalation, particularly because for some time there was no diplomatic communication between the sides,' it said. Amnesty said the warring sides 'must take all necessary measures to protect civilians and minimise any suffering and casualties'. * Follow us on Instagram and join our Telegram and/or WhatsApp channel(s) for the latest news you don't want to miss. * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
Gulf Today
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Gulf Today
Death toll in India, Pakistan conflict crosses 50
The death toll from India and Pakistan's biggest clashes in decades passed 50 on Friday with each country accusing the other of sending waves of drone attacks. The escalation between the nuclear-armed rivals follows an attack on tourists in the Indian-run part of disputed Kashmir that killed 26 people on April 22 and Indian air strikes on "terrorist camps" on Wednesday. In the third day of tit-for-tat exchanges since, the Indian army said that it "repulsed" Pakistani attacks using drones and other munitions overnight and gave a "befitting reply". India also accused Pakistani forces on Thursday of targeting three military stations – two in Kashmir and one in the neighbouring state of Punjab. Pakistan's Information Minister Ataullah Tarar said Pakistan has "not targeted any locations in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir, or across international border, so far". Five civilians were killed including a two-year-old girl by Indian shelling overnight in areas along the heavily militarised Line of Control, Pakistani security and governments officials said. "In response, the Pakistan Army carried out a strong counterattack, targeting three Indian posts across the Line of Control (LoC)," police official Adeel Khan, based in Kotli district where four of the deaths occurred, told AFP. Pakistani military sources said that its military had shot down 77 Indian drones in the last two days, claiming they were Israeli-made. In Indian-administered Kashmir, a police official said one woman died after heavy overnight shelling in Uri, some 100 kilometres (60 miles) from the state capital Srinagar, and two men were wounded. "The youth of Kashmir will never forget this act of brutality by India," said 15-year-old Muhammad Bilal in Muzaffarabad, the main city in Pakistan-administered Kashmir where a mosque was hit in Wednesday's strikes. In Indian-administered Jammu, Piyush Singh, a 21-year-old student, said: "Our [attack] is justified because we are doing it for whatever happened to our civilians." Schools closed India and Pakistan have fought several wars over Kashmir which has been split since 1947 when British colonial rule ended and which both countries claim in full. Pakistan has rejected claims by India's government that it was behind last month's attack, calling for an independent investigation. Pakistani authorities insist they have the right to retaliate to India's initial strikes. In a late Wednesday TV address to the nation, Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif warned they would "avenge" those killed by Indian air strikes. On Friday schools were closed on both sides of the Pakistan and Indian border in Kashmir and Punjab, affecting tens of millions of children. India has also closed 24 airports, but according to local media the suspension on civilian flights may be lifted on Saturday morning. The Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket mega tournament was also suspended for a week, the Indian cricket board announced. This came after an IPL match was abandoned in Dharamsala, less than 200 kilometres (125 miles) from the town of Jammu, where explosions had been reported. The Pakistan Super League meanwhile was moved to the United Arab Emirates, after an Indian drone struck Rawalpindi stadium on Thursday. India has ordered X to block more than 8,000 accounts, the platform said, adding that it was reluctantly complying with what it described as government-imposed "censorship". The move appears to be part of India's sweeping crackdown targeting social media accounts of Pakistani politicians, celebrities and media organisations. Vance calls for de-escalation American Vice President JD Vance has called for de-escalation, while underlining that Washington was "not going to get involved in the middle of a war that's fundamentally none of our business". Several countries have offered to mediate, and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in New Delhi on Thursday, days after visiting Pakistan. Diplomats and world leaders have pressured both countries for restraint. However, the International Crisis Group said "foreign powers appear to have been somewhat indifferent" to the prospect of war, despite warnings of possible escalation. "A combination of bellicose rhetoric, domestic agitation and the remorseless logic of military one-upmanship have heightened the risks of escalation, particularly because for some time there was no diplomatic communication between the sides," it said. Amnesty said the warring sides "must take all necessary measures to protect civilians and minimise any suffering and casualties." Agence France-Presse
