ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Revenue Ali Pervez Malik said Thursday that it would be premature to comment whether mini-budget was imminent or not.

He was responding to a query on possibility of mini-budget at an event organised by PRIME Institute, here on Thursday.

“I would be able to comment on the issue when the visiting IMF mission will give its opinion on the said matter. Till now all these reports about mini-budget are rumors”.

Talking to media on the conclusion of the event, he said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed to reduce the income tax burden on the salaried class.

The minister also pointed out that inflation has significantly come down, from over 35 percent to around seven percent. He said the federal government has imposed taxes worth Rs3,500 billion but added that tax evasion needs to be stopped. The minister was of the view that the FBR has to check tax evasion to plug in loopholes and generate additional revenue.

No new taxation measures or mini-budget under study: FBR

Malik said that the government took some unpopular decisions but now things are on the right path due to these policy decisions.

He also highlighted that the current account deficit had reached $18 billion which has now been controlled. He said that to take the country out of economic troubles, the government must enhance its revenue collection. He also claimed that the government is taking measures to ensure that the current International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme is the last. He also pointed out that to improve FBR’s enforcement, the government has approved a summary to increase its resources.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024