ISLAMABAD: PTI leader and former finance minister Shaukat Tarin said on Wednesday that a potential deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for the revival of the extended fund facility (EFF) was still weeks away as he lashed out at the current coalition government for its economic policies.
Speaking to the media in Islamabad, Tarin said: “We pray [an agreement is reached]. Because the country is ours and we are nothing without the country. We pray that they (government agree on a deal [with the IMF] which does not burden the people.”
However, the former banker maintained that this was currently a work in progress.
“Their (IMF’s) statement says that this is a work in progress and there has been some headway they are saying they will give the memorandum of economic and financial policy (MEFP) on Friday. When that has not been received, how can it be said that an agreement has been reached?”
Tarin said that the MEFP would be an extensive and detailed document, which would be deliberated upon and discussed “line by line”. Then a technical agreement is signed which goes to the IMF’s board in Washington, he said, predicting that the deal would materialise by July-end.
“But as I stated before, we want an indication that an agreement has been reached on broad matters as financial markets are nervous.” He pointed to how the stock market plunged after initially making gains on Wednesday.
He went on to say that over the span of 10-12 weeks, the government had made several misstatements and changed its narrative which had affected its credibility with the financial market.
Tarin’s remarks come after it was reported that Pakistan and the Fund had reached an understanding on Tuesday night on the federal budget for 2022-23, leading to revival of the EFF after authorities committed to generate Rs436 billion more taxes and increase petroleum levy gradually up to Rs50 per litre.
According to sources, the government agreed to impose 1pc poverty tax on firms earning Rs150 million, 2pc on those earning Rs200m, 3pc on over Rs250m and 4pc on Rs300m above. In the original budget, the government had set a 2pc poverty tax only on those earning Rs300m and above.
The government also agreed to do away with provisions for additional salaries and pensions, for which Rs200bn had been set aside as block allocation. Instead, a separate allocation of contingencies had been made but that would be strictly meant for emergencies like floods and earthquakes so that the amount remains unspent.
Pakistan also committed to deliver a Rs152bn primary budget surplus, which means the revenues would finance all expenditures — other than interest payments — and still leave Rs152bn surplus in the national kitty. –Agencies
