The government may double the excise duty rate on fertiliser to 10% and introduce at least 5% new tax on pesticides in the budget, the two critical inputs for the crops that may get expensive amid heightening challenges for the agriculture sector. Among the other proposals, it is considering starting limiting the tax-free status currently available to the Special Economic Zones from fiscal year
The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Tuesday showed a strong upward movement in early trading following another cut in the interest rate. However, towards the end of the session, widespread selling pressure pushed the KSE 100 index into the red, extending overnight losses. Investors’ sentiments remained bearish due to ongoing border tensions. Ahsan Mehanti from Arif Habib Corporation stated tha
The Ministry of Commerce was directed on Tuesday to fast-track amendments to boost barter trade with Iran, Afghanistan and Russia. At its meeting, the Senate Standing Committee on Commerce, chaired by Senator Anusha Rehman, directed the ministry to expedite the necessary summaries for barter trade and the Import Policy Order (IPO). The meeting also discussed the mechanism to achieve the expo
Standard & Poor’s Global Market Intelligence on Tuesday forecast further rate cuts by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) during the current fiscal year following a 100bps reduction to 11pc by the Monetary Policy Committee on Monday. In a brief analysis, S&P Global Market Intelligence said the SBP delivered a larger-than-expected rate cut to 11pc as headline inflation bottomed out. “Given
The Ministry of Industries and Production has requested assistance from the auto sector to develop a tariff structure that balances the needs of the auto industry with the conditions set by the International Monetary Fund. A high-level meeting took place on Tuesday between Haroon Akhtar Khan, the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister, and representatives from the Pakistan Automotive Manufactu