ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Tuesday rejected the federal budget 2025-26 after lodging a strong protest at the National Assembly during Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb’s speech.
Earlier today, Aurangzeb presented the federal budget for fiscal year 2025–26 with a total outlay of Rs17.57 trillion, setting a 4.2% GDP growth target and announcing relief measures for the salaried class, while overall federal expenditure was slashed by 7%.
“This is a fake government […] it lacks the power to present a budget,” alleged the opposition party’s parliamentary committee in a statement and termed the proposed budget “influenced by the Interna-tional Monetary Fund (IMF)”.
The committee also announced that it would not accept the “IMF budget”.
The party also slammed the NA Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, blaming him for becoming a “representative” of the ruling party instead of exhibiting partial behaviour.
The Imran Khan-founded party announced protests on every occasion related to the budget.
It also announced to take up the matter related to PTI lawmakers’ speeches in the house not being broadcast live.
“We would protest and bring a privilege motion for not airing the PTI [lawmakers’] speeches,” it add-ed.
Imran Khan claimed that “two segments of society — salaried class and farmers — will be burdened by the budget,” the incarcerated former premier’s sister Aleema Khan told reporters outside Rawalpindi’s Adiala prison.
She added that the PTI founder also said that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) budget would be tax-free. Khan also directed KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur that the economic team should be per-mitted to hold consultations.
PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja and senior leader Shibli Faraz also claimed that the salaried class was not given any relief in the budget as “20% tax was imposed on bank deposits besides increas-ing petroleum and carbon levies”.
They also alleged that privileged people have been given a tax exemption of Rs5 trillion.
On the other hand, the government claimed that salaried workers in Pakistan are set to take home more pay under the new federal budget, as it has proposed to slash income tax rates for middle- and high-income earners to ease their financial burden.
The biggest relief targets taxpayers earning up to Rs2.2 million annually, with the minimum rate re-duced from 15% to 11% — a 4% fall.
The tax rate for individuals making between Rs600,000 and Rs1.2 million a year will drop from 5% to 2.5%.
The finance minister said similar cuts are being proposed for higher income brackets as well. For those earning between Rs2.2 million and Rs3.2 million, the tax rate is expected to ease from 25% to 23%.
Aurangzeb said the aim is not only to provide relief but to keep salaries in line with inflation, making the tax structure simpler and more balanced. –Agencies
