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Macro stability, but at what cost?

At the rele­ase of the Pakistan Econo­mic Survey for FY24 on Tuesday, Finance Min­ister Muhammad Auran­g­zeb boasted of the econo­mic stability achieved during the outgoing fiscal year. The nation’s GDP is estimated to grow by 2.38pc against a contraction of 0.2pc in FY23, the current account deficit has been contained to an estimated $200 million against the projection of $6 billion, foreign e

Ambitious taxation target: tall order for a low-growth economy

IN LINE with the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) demands, the Shehbaz Sharif government has reportedly set a massive tax target of Rs12.9 trillion for the incoming fiscal year, more than 41 per cent higher than the collection projected for fiscal 2024. This new tax target will require additional revenue measures of at least Rs2 trillion and, despite a projected 30pc increase in the Federal

Think tank calls for simplifying tax system

The newly formed Tax Reforms Commission — a joint venture of two state-run and private think tanks — on Monday called for a stable and predictable tax regime through simplification and harmonisation of the tax system instead of arbitrary budgetary measures targeted at revenue enhancement, to facilitate taxpayers and tax payments and build government trust. A joint report prepared by the commiss

Economic Survey 2023-24: Pakistan loses a record Rs3.9tr to tax exemptions

Cash-strapped Pakistan witnessed the highest-ever single-year increase in tax exemptions or concessions, surging by 73.24 per cent or Rs1.64 trillion in the outgoing fiscal year. The Pakistan Economic Survey 2023-24, released by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on Tuesday, showed that the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) doled out a record Rs3.879tr in FY24 compared to Rs2.239tr in FY23. The c

PES 2023-24: Agriculture sector only saving grace in otherwise dismal year

Pakistan’s economy failed to meet most of its targets set in the previous budget due to challenging conditions, but the agriculture sector achieved unprecedented growth, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb announced on Tuesday while unveiling the Pakistan Economic Survey (PES) 2023-24. The strong 6.25pc expansion in the agriculture sector — said by the report to be the highest in 19 years — dro