The federal government has decided to present the budget for the upcoming fiscal year 2017-18 before the start of Ramazan. Increasing GDP growth and creating more job opportunities will be the focal point of the budget, according to media reports.
The budget will be presented to the federal cabinet for approval in May and will be presented in the National Assembly and Senate on the same day. The government would share the indicative budget ceilings with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in the upcoming talks under article IV, to be held in Dubai at the end of March. It would also share its economic performance of the current fiscal year 2016-17.
A meeting chaired by the Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and attended by senior officials from the ministry of finance was held on Wednesday in order to review budget preparations. Dar said that due consideration should be given to the proposals and comments put forth by all stakeholders when finalising the budget.
