| শিরোনাম | সূত্র | তারিখ |
| আন্তঃপ্রাদেশিক বৈষম্যের ওপর অধ্যাপক রেহমান সোবহানের বক্তব্য |
সাপ্তাহিক ‘ফোরাম’ | ১৪ নভেম্বর, ১৯৭০ |
SENSE AND NONSENSE ABOUT DISPARITY
THE BALANCE SHEET OF DESPARITY
Rehman Sobhan
A great deal of nonsense is currently being talked about East Pakistan's low revenue earning capacity as compared to West Pakistan. From this premise two totally untenable conclusions are being derived. First, that higher development expenditure in the West wing is financed by its own revenue resources and owes nothing to East Pakistan. Secondly, that higher revenue collections are the main reason for higher development expenditure in the West wing. Both fallacies need to be laid to rest if any coherent dialogue is to emerge.
Financing Development
In Table I we present a breakdown of total revenue collections in the two provinces and relate them to revenue and development expenditures in the regions. Revenue collections are collected separately by the Central and Provincial governments. From the table we see that during the Third plan period 1965-66 to 1968-69, the latest period for which figures are available, the Centre collected, through its main revenue heads of Customs duty. Excise Tax. Sales Tax and Taxes on income Rs. 470.5 crores from East Pakistan. Against this Rs. 1304.4 crores was collected from West Pakistan, which is 73.5% of total collections.
Provincial revenues have a much smaller yield since the main elastic sources of revenue are with the Centre. As a result Provincial revenues, which include both tax and non-tax revenue, yielded Rs. 258 crores in East Pakistan and Rs. 477 crores in West Pakistan. Together Provincial and Central revenues yielded Rs. 728.5 crores from East Pakistan and Rs. 1781.7 crores from West Pakistan. Against this, Revenue expenditures in East Pakistan amounted to Rs. 484.9 crores compared to Rs. 1659.5 crores in West Pakistan. Revenue expenditure relates to all expenditures of the Central and Provincial governments located within the region. Expenditures of this nature generate income and direct and indirect employment in the region as a tangible benefit to its inhabitants.
In contrast, development expenditure was apportioned as Rs. 851.3 crores to East Pakistan and Rs. 1107.6 crores to a West Pakistan. The aggregate of revenue and
