ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly successfully passed nine important bills, including the Income Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2024, the Pakistan Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2024, and the Islamabad Capital Territory Child Marriage Restraint Bill, 2025, at the conclusion of Friday's session.
Other bills that gained approval were the Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (Amendment) Bill, 2024; Extradition (Amendment) Bill, 2025; Naturalization (Amendment) Bill, 2024; Civil Servants (Amendment) Bill, 2025; Anti Dumping Duties (Amendment) Bill, 2025; and the Trade Organizations (Second Amendment) Bill, 2025.
The Income Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2024 aims to alleviate challenges faced by taxpayers in applying higher tax rates on income from federal government securities based on the Advance-to-Deposit Ratio (ADR). The bill establishes a tax rate structure, with banking companies taxed at 44% for 2025, and gradually decreasing in subsequent years. Small companies will be subject to a flat 20% tax rate, while other companies will pay 29% starting from 2025.
The Civil Servants (Amendment) Bill, 2025 mandates civil servants in grades BS-17 and above to digitally file declarations of assets, including foreign assets, with the Federal Board of Revenue. The Extradition (Amendment) Bill, 2025 simplifies the process for handling foreign extradition requests, bypassing the Federal Cabinet.
The Islamabad Capital Territory Child Marriage Restraint Bill, 2025 seeks to eliminate child marriages in Islamabad, imposing severe penalties for any involvement in such practices. Additionally, the Pakistan Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2024 facilitates the resumption of Pakistani citizenship for members of the diaspora who previously renounced it due to foreign nationality requirements.
The House also passed a resolution granting age relaxation for candidates applying for the Central Superior Services Examination, allowing an upper age limit of 35 years and five attempts.
