ISLAMABAD: Expressing satisfaction over the nose-diving inflation rate in the country, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday directed the authorities to track down tax evaders and their abettors to ensure everyone pays the taxes they owe.
The directive from the prime minister came during a briefing by the Finance Ministry about the country’s economy and the meeting with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) delegation.
PM Sharif directed for accelerating actions against tax defaulters, and reiterated to bring the tax evaders and their facilitators to book.
“The country’s economy can progress well when all the stakeholders meet their responsibilities. All sectors should pay taxes to play their role in the national progress,” he added.
A statement issued by the media wing of the PM Office said that the prime minister expressed confidence over the country’s economic progress, saying it is now on path to stability and due to robust measurers taken in this regard, the stock market was showing brisk business.
The finance minister, Muhammad Aurangzeb, also briefed the prime minister about his meetings with a visiting IMF delegation which visited Pakistan from November 11 to 15.
The IMF mission led by Nathan Porter concluded a staff visit to Pakistan on Friday last during which, the IMF team met with senior officials from federal and provincial governments and State Bank of Pakistan and private sector representatives.
The prime minister maintained that giving maximum relief to masses should be accorded priority on all other steps and they were taking all possible measures to fulfil public promises.
He also expressed satisfaction over the sliding down of the inflation rate to seven percent from 38 percent and said the interest rate was lowered from 22 percent to 15 which would spur business activities and create jobs opportunities in the country.
He further observed that due to surge in exports and record remittances, the country’s foreign reserves had increased.
Sharif claimed that the foreign investment in the country was a reflection of confidence in the government’s policies – a claim which the opposition parties as well as the economists openly reject.
Sharif was all praise for the Punjab provincial government headed by Maryam Nawaz for what he called “landmark reforms” in the agricultural sector.
The meeting was attended Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Khan Cheema, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Petroleum Minister Mussadik Malik, State Minister for Economic Affairs Ali Pervaiz Malik and others.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024