Finance Minister Asad Umar has confirmed that a mini-budget will be tabled in the National Assembly on January 23.
The minister announced the government’s plans during an address at the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Saturday.
Umar said the budget was to be presented on January 21, but the date has been pushed back due to Prime Minister Imran Khan’s travel commitments.
Sharing details of the budget proposals, the finance minister said that powers of the Federal Board of Revenue’s (FBR) statutory regulatory orders (SROs) will be withdrawn.
He highlighted the need to address tax anomalies and said that any changes in taxation policies will be subject to parliamentary approval.
Umar said the government was striving to create a conducive environment for encouraging ease of doing business and attracting foreign investment to uplift the economy.
He said the economy was core component of government’s foreign policy and that they were committed to promote trade and investment in the best interest of the country.
The minister said Pakistan wanted cordial relations with all countries of the region, including India and there was a need to resolve all the issues between the two countries through dialogue.
In the upcoming National Assembly session starting Monday, the opposition is going to follow a joint strategy and give the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led government a hard time about its plans to introduce a mini-budget.
Earlier, talking to The Express Tribune, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP)’s Khursheed Shah said the government’s move to impose new taxes would be robustly opposed.
“The opposition will not remain silent as it is our responsibility and our duty to stop the government from taking any measure against the public,” he had said.
Federal Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said on Saturday that the draft for the new Pakistan Media Regulatory Authority to oversee print, electronic and social media has been finalised.
“We are aware of the recent surge in fake news and concerns therein, hence draft of a single, efficient and Powerful Media Regulatory Authority (PMRA) has been finalised and sent to all stakeholders,” Chaudhry tweeted on Saturday.
He said that the proposed body will come into effect “after due deliberation by Parliament”.
Earlier, journalists had expressed skepticism over the government’s move, which was announced in August last year.
In a statement, the Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors said that every media category had its specific issues, nature, and operating methods, and handling all media categories with one single law would be akin to ignoring ground realities.
Pakistan Tehreek-Insaf Senator Faisal Javed Khan had also voiced his concerns on the proposed body. He said print, electronic and social media had their own dynamics and it would be difficult to cater to their requirements under one roof.
