Headline inflation rose 3.5 per cent year-on-year in May 2025, according to data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) on Monday. On a month-on-month basis, it decreased by 0.2pc in May as compared to a decrease of 0.8pc in the previous month, according to data. This was higher than the finance ministry’s expectations, which had anticipated inflationary outlook to “remain betwe
As part of its strategic direction to declare ‘war on cash’, the federal government is likely to introduce differential tax and transaction rates for cash and digital payments across various sectors, including fuel pricing, in the upcoming budget. This is going to be the most crucial step among many other things that Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb has been hinting at in recent days and may
Promises of prosperity often mask a chain of dependency. Across countries and through time, governments have insisted that their policies are designed to serve the common man. From the most advanced economies to the developing world, this narrative is persistent, and Pakistan is no exception. Governments primarily generate revenue through taxation and borrowing. As such, their objectives should
Textile exporters have urged the federal government to reverse policy measures in the upcoming budget that are disrupting supply chains critical to sustaining over $9 billion in value-added exports. In a joint letter to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the Pakistan Readymade Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (PRGMEA) and the Pakistan Hosiery Manufacturers and Exporters Association
Citizens and entrepreneurs deserve a better deal. Acknowledging deep structural flaws and the need for fundamental reforms, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb has pledged to make the upcoming budget a strategic document, one that provides clear direction to an otherwise rudderless economy. Mr Aurangzeb was reported to have remarked in Islamabad last week, “We are going to introduce bold measur