Opinion Budget with mixed signals This is a contractionary budget, aimed at delivering a consolidated fiscal deficit of 3.9 percent of GDP—the ... Updated 16 Jun, 2025 10:38am
Budget 2025-26 Analysis: More of the same, just tighter If the tax rate on bank deposit income is increased by one-third, what exactly is bold about this budget? There is ... Published 11 Jun, 2025 06:04am
Opinion Budget FY26: fiscal discipline without reform Fiscal consolidation continues. FY26 is expected to be the third consecutive year of a primary fiscal surplus. This... Updated 02 Jun, 2025 07:40am
Opinion Tariff Policy: a bold step towards trade liberalization The federal government has approved the National Tariff Policy (NTP) 2025–30, a transformative step toward trade... Updated 26 May, 2025 07:22am
Opinion Farm to failure: higher taxes feeding informal sector The federal government in the past few years has imposed hefty taxes on the documented sector, fueling the informal... Updated 19 May, 2025 07:22am
Opinion Beyond the ceasefire: Pakistan’s path forward A ceasefire, brokered by the Trump administration, is now in place, marking a significant shift in the ... Updated 12 May, 2025 07:27am
Opinion MPC meeting: navigating between disinflation and external fragility Monetary policy decision is due today. Three macro variables are making a compelling argument for a big rate cut.... Updated 05 May, 2025 07:55am
Opinion Uniting Pakistan: bridging provincial divides for shared prosperity Pakistan is grappling with growing interprovincial tensions amid economic challenges. The divides between provinces... Updated 28 Apr, 2025 07:47am
Opinion Stabilized, but stagnant: the recovery illusion Economic stabilization has been achieved: inflation is nosediving, interest rates have been cut in half, and the... Updated 21 Apr, 2025 06:11am
Opinion Tariff turbulence: risks and opportunities in Trump’s trade war Trump’s tariffs have jolted the world. Their impact on global value chains could be similar to what COVID-19 had.... Updated 14 Apr, 2025 06:46am
Opinion Power tariff cuts: bigger, durable reform needed The reduction in the power tariff, especially for industrial consumers, is a welcome move. Its architects, including... Published 07 Apr, 2025 02:49am
Opinion Enhancing grid consumption need of the hour There are efforts and actions being taken to reduce power tariffs and make the grid sustainable. These include... Published 24 Mar, 2025 06:22am
Opinion Pakistan’s taxation trap: overburdening formal economy feeds the informal Tax compliance in Pakistan has been dismal for decades, and every increase in tax rates or the imposition of new... Published 17 Mar, 2025 06:37am
Opinion MPC clearly in a dilemma about how to respond to policy rate question The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) is set to announce its monetary policy decision today. Over the past six reviews,... Updated 10 Mar, 2025 06:10am
Opinion Human development emergency: Pakistan’s greatest challenge Economic policy debates in Pakistan tend to fixate on macroeconomic indicators—fiscal deficits, firm-level... Updated 03 Mar, 2025 06:59am
Opinion Rethinking energy sector reforms Recently, eight multilateral development finance institutions, including the Asian Development Bank and ... Updated 24 Feb, 2025 07:17am
Opinion Macroeconomics of empty promises The State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP’s) foreign exchange reserves have dropped by nearly a billion dollars in just... Published 17 Feb, 2025 03:09am
Opinion Reviving real estate: balancing growth and regulation Lately, there has been a surge of excitement in the real estate market, particularly in upscale urban areas. The... Published 10 Feb, 2025 05:35am
Opinion IMF review: challenges, and uncertainties The IMF review mission is expected to arrive by the end of February to conduct the first semi-annual review of the... Updated 03 Feb, 2025 07:11am
Opinion Will wage growth revival feed inflation? With economic stabilization on the horizon, pressure from employers, particularly from white-collar urban workers, ... Published 27 Jan, 2025 05:50am