MUZAFARABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday reiterated the government’s resolve to steer the country out of the challenge of economic crisis by bringing structural reforms in the economic sector to provide maximum facilities to the people of the country.

He said that the government was fully committed to increase tax to GDP ratio, tap the huge potential of natural and agricultural resources, stop smuggling, power theft, and losses of the State state-owned entities.

Addressing a cheque distribution ceremony among the affected people by torrential rains and snowfall in the area, the prime minister called for setting aside all the differences in the larger national interest to work as a nation to ensure that the country was developing at a faster pace.

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Currently, he said the country’s tax collection target for the current fiscal year was Rs 1.2 trillion which was not up to the true potential due to tax evasion by certain sections. He said tax evasion was one of the biggest challenges that would to be resolved to increase the country’s resources. “If we have no resources, how we will build the infrastructure of health, education and other important sectors,” he maintained.

He said even the salaries of the federal employees were being paid with the borrowed money. Therefore, he said this was the right time to make tough and important decisions to resolve all the key challenges, the country was facing.