ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, chairing a post-budget meeting at FBR headquarters, reviewed matters relating to the new budget measures as well as the state of revenue collection for the current fiscal year.
Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Revenue, Haroon Akhtar, FBR Chairman Dr Muhammad Irshad and senior officers of the Board participated in the meeting.
The FBR chairman briefed the minister on the efforts being made to ensure collection of the targeted revenue for the current fiscal. He also briefed the Minister on the implementation arrangements for the new budgetary measures.
The finance minister congratulated the FBR team on preparation of a balanced revenue budget. He appreciated the extensive consultation carried out by FBR before the budget and said that it had been helpful in finalizing progressive revenue measures. He directed FBR to make full use of the Parliamentary debate on the Budget and to examine in the detail the proposals received during the debate. He said that the government would give full considerations to all such proposals and make adjustments if necessary. He said the budget is a manifestation of government’s resolve to watch for the well being of all sectors of the economy and not resort to taking just populist measures.
Ishaq Dar also directed the FBR officials to make concerted efforts to achieve the revenue target for the fiscal year 2017-18. He said good revenue collection was exceedingly important for government’s efforts aimed at inclusive growth and employment generation.
The minister said that with dedicated efforts and strict financial discipline, the Government has been able to maintain macroeconomic stability that it has gained through continued reforms and following prudent economic policies. He said Government is determined to achieve higher GDP growth rate of 6% in the coming fiscal year. He said the Government has borrowed only for development projects and not for meeting routine expenditures.
Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Revenue, Haroon Akhtar on behalf of all the officials of the FBR thanked the minister for his continued support that enabled them undertake the budget exercise with complete success.
