ISLAMABAD: The Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance, Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, briefed the Prime Minister about estimates of revenue and expenditures for the next fiscal year and about government priorities based on ground realities.
The adviser to the prime minister on finance has been briefing the prime minister during the last two consecutive days on budget priorities, and taking his advice before finalising the broad contours in challenging fiscal situation and the coronavirus pandemic.
The adviser is said to have informed the prime minister about a shortfall of Rs1.6 trillion in revenue target for the current fiscal year, and even the prime minister himself stated that that country suffered loss of Rs800 billion in taxes due to the Covid-19 and consequent lockdown.
The adviser also informed that the prime minister said slow post-COVID economic recovery warranted belt tightening from all.
The prime minister said that the cut in non-development expenditure was priority of the government, and in prevailing circumstances special attention should be paid to promoting that (cut in unnecessary expenditure).
The prime minister has reportedly sought slash in non-development expenditure of the Cabinet Division, and directed his economic team that subsidy is, in fact, tax payers' money, and therefore should be targeted in the best ways to achieve the desired results.
The prime minister stated during the meeting on budget that every segment of the society had been affected by the coronavirus, and consequently efforts to stabilise and develop the economy had been adversely affected.
He added that current economic situation demanded that reforms process was expedited in order to reduce unnecessary burden on people and to provide them relief.
Comments
Comments are closed.