‘A test of vision’: Finance gurus lay out expectations from upcoming budget

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb is all set to unveil next year’s budget on June 10. In the days leading up to his much-anticipated budget speech on the floor of the National Assembly, much is being discussed in the public domain on what could be and shouldn’t be on the government’s priority list. At a pre-budget meeting last week, Aurangzeb promised to shift the tax burden away from the salaried class and the documented sector to others through digitisation. He hinted at significant steps towards the compulsory use of digital payments to maximise a cashless economy and increase documented transactions. At a public event the same week, he also announced that the upcoming federal budget would introduce “bold measures” to steer the national economy in a strategic direction.