The federal government has indicated that relief will be provided to the salaried employees in the upcoming fiscal year’s budget, as reported by national media.
A meeting of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Finance was held under the chairmanship of Syed Naveed Qamar, in which FBR Chairman Rashid Langrial informed the committee that due to the IMF program, the upcoming fiscal year’s budget will be challenging in terms of targets.
He said that reducing taxes for any sector will not be easy, however, proposals to provide relief to the salaried class are under consideration. Federal Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, in a briefing via video link, said that the Ministry of Finance is working on the new 2025–26 budget as well as the formulation of a long-term tax policy.
He stated that the FBR will focus solely on tax collection. He also shared that during his recent visit to the United States, he held more than 70 meetings.
International financial institutions, bilateral partners, and rating agencies have acknowledged the improvement in Pakistan’s economic performance. They have also stressed the need to continue structural reforms in areas including taxation, energy, and privatization of state-owned enterprises.
In the meeting, member Agha Rafiullah revealed that employees in several government departments, including the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis, are not being paid the minimum monthly wage of 37,000 rupees. The committee took notice of the matter and asked the Ministry of Finance to submit a detailed report within 30 days.
