No additional burden on existing taxpayers: Hafeez – Newspaper

ISLAMABAD: The government said Tuesday that it was trying to absolve existing taxpayers of any additional charges as a mission of the visiting staff of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) planned to report a joint session of the standing committees of both houses of parliament on the Status of your $ 6 billion support package on November 6.

Speaking informally with journalists here after a meeting with the IMF mission, financial advisor Dr. Abdul Hafeez Shaikh said the national economy was witnessing stability following corrective measures introduced by the government to address key challenges.

The meeting was led by the Head of Mission in Pakistan, Ramírez Rigo Ernesto, and was attended by the Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan, Dr. Reza Baqir, the Secretary of Finance Naveed Kamran Baloch and the President of the Federal Board of Revenue , Shabbar Zaidi, in addition to other senior officials.

The IMF visiting team will inform the parliament about economy

He said the IMF delegation was reviewing the quarterly economic performance and had expressed confidence in the government's economic policies, including increased revenues and reduced expenses.

According to him, the two sides discussed tax collection and the government was taking steps to improve the infrastructure and trying to ensure that taxpayers do not face more tax burdens.

In response to a question, Shaikh said the government had made remarkable progress in the ease of doing business that had been recognized by world institutions and had also extended a package of incentives to the export sector to revive it.

Separately, the Senate Standing Finance Committee, led by PPP Senator Farooq H Naik, was informed that the IMF had allocated an approximately one hour interaction with its members and those of the body of the national assembly on finance and income on November 6th.

This will be perhaps the first time that the IMF mission maintains a joint commitment with the finance committees of both houses. Previously, their interaction had been limited to the Finance Committee of the National Assembly or selective members of the two chambers.

A statement issued by the Ministry of Finance said that Shaikh assured the IMF mission that the government was focused on the implementation of its program. "The containment of current and fiscal deficits and the stabilization of the exchange rate are indicative of the success of the government's efforts to put the economy on the path of long-term growth," he said while speaking with the mission team.

The adviser said that Pakistan valued the support and financial assistance of the IMF and that the prime minister personally supervised and supervised the progress made in various sectors of the economy.

The statement cited Ernesto as appreciating the positive results produced by the policies and strategies implemented by the government to eliminate economic imbalances. He said that volatility in the exchange rate had been reduced, while successes had also been achieved in other areas, especially on the fiscal front, indicating that the government was moving in the right direction.

The head of the mission said the IMF hoped to have a meaningful and productive review by pointing to a prospective approach with a focus on the necessary adjustments until March, especially in the electricity sector and financing from various bilateral and multilateral sources to boost foreign exchange. Pakistan. .

Posted on Dawn, October 30, 2019