ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb on Friday termed the budget 2022-23 a pro-poor and people-friendly budget while adding that the income tax limit has been increased from Rs0.6 million to Rs1.2 million.
While addressing the media, she said despite the strict conditions of the IMF, the government and the prime minister were thinking of the poor and low-income people.
People earning up to Rs1.2 million will not have to pay any tax, she said.
Marriyum Aurangzeb said that the budget 2022-23 would change the economic landscape by stabilizing the national economy.
She said historic announcements have been made for the agriculture sector, which has been declared a zero-tax industry.
Incentives in agriculture sector will not only strengthen the agriculture sector but also increase production, she said.
There will be zero customs duty and sales tax on agricultural implements, said Aurangzeb.
She said that never before in the history of Pakistan has such a tax exemption been granted to the agriculture sector.
The minister further said that we believe that economic stability can only come through agriculture.
She said the government has given incentives for the IT sector which will boost IT exports.
Historic announcements have also been made in the field of food security, she further added.
Special measures for youth have been proposed in the budget, she said.
On a separate occasion, while addressing the protesting government employees, she said that this budget will lead the country towards economic stability, help provide relief to the people, especially the poor, and promote industry, trade and commerce in the country.
Unlike the former government, this government has taken care of government employees. “Gone were the days when the prime minister of the country did not pay heed to the problems of government employees,” she said, adding Pakistan was going through a difficult situation today due to the incompetence, inefficiency, theft, and corruption of Imran’s regime.
The minister said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had directed for 15 per cent increase in salaries of the government employees, besides merger of ad-hoc relief in the basic pay.
Due to the “incompetence of a gang” which ruled the country for four years, the poor people were facing extreme inflation, poverty, and unemployment, she said.
Now, the country was being ruled by the coalition government which not only had representation of all the political parties, but also the vision which would ensure the welfare of poor people and the middle class, she maintained.
The minister said despite the difficult circumstances, the budget would not only provide relief to the masses, but also boost the industry, trade, commerce, and agriculture sector in the country.
She vowed that the government would continue to provide relief to the poor people and government employees in the current and future budgets.
The minister said when Imran Khan was given power in 2018, the national economy was stable but he ruined it. The government wants to save the poor people from inflation and unemployment caused by the bad policies of the PTI regime, she said. The government employees present in the rally chanted slogans in favour of the government, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the Federal Minister for Information Marriyum Aurangzeb.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022