News

Stocks end last session of FY24 on bearish note

Stocks faltered on Friday, the last session of the outgoing fiscal year, despite the passage of the tax-laden budget 2024-25, which set the course for the smooth securing of a new IMF loan. Initially starting on a positive note, the benchmark KSE 100 index came under pressure and failed to sustain bullish momentum as investors took profits amid predictions of a spike in inflation. Ahsan Meha

Shifting tax burden to public

At first glance, the new budget appears to show no significant tax rate hikes, but the removal of exemptions valued at up to Rs1.6 trillion will heavily impact the public. The budget’s architect has aimed to shift the financial burden onto the general populace while also prioritising the sale of loss-making state-owned enterprises (SOEs). Although the sale of SOEs might help reduce government e

Burdening the people

THE tax-heavy budget for the next fiscal year approved by parliament on Friday will make the life of average Pakistanis even harder and further deepen the trust deficit between the ruled and the rulers as it imposes an array of additional taxes that will directly hit low- to moderate-income households. The government has unloaded additional taxes of Rs1.7tr to meet its ambitious tax revenue tar

More competition to amp up electric vehicles adoption

Auto sector players are optimistic about China’s BYD entering Pakistan in collaboration with Hub Power Company Ltd (Hubco) to locally assemble electric vehicles (EVs), which could benefit exports. “[The] Entry of BYD in Pakistan should be looked at from a global perspective instead of [a] regional one,” GM Marketing Division, MG JW Automobiles Syed Asif Ahmed told Dawn from Lahore. He said C

FBR surpasses collection target for FY24

The Federal Board of Revenue collected Rs9.285 trillion in 2023-24, slightly exceeding the downward revised target of Rs9.252tr. The budgetary target of Rs9.415tr was revised downward to exclude the tax amount that was stuck in superior courts because of the non-implementation of tax measures announced in the budget 2023-24. The courts stayed the collection of super tax and windfall income t