ISLAMABAD: The current government of Pakistan devised a plan to bring down budget deficit to 3.5 percent by the financial year 2017-18, Deputy Parliamentary leader of ruling party Senator Iqbal Zafar Jhagra said on Monday.
The Senate resumed debate on a motion moved by Finance Minister, Ishaq Dar to make recommendations to the National Assembly on the Finance Bill, 2015 containing the annual budget statement.
Participating in the budget debate in Senate, Jhagra said, the fiscal deficit has already brought down up to 5.5 percent from a whopping 8.2 percent. The target of next financial year is 5 percent.
He lauded the incentives being offered in the budget to the small farmers, increase in the allocations of Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), five years tax holiday provided to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa industry.
He said the balanced budget provides equal opportunities to all and sundry.
The incentives offered in the budget would help overcoming unemployment and eliminate poverty from the country.
Senator Hidayatullah said FATA was playing front line role in the war against terror and the infrastructure had been damaged to a great deal.
He demanded allocation of more funds for primary education and setting up of new schools in FATA.
He lamented that only Rs 18.5 million had been allocated for FATA, and a sum of Rs 100 billion should be granted to bring FATA at par with other provinces adding that Expressway should be constructed to link FATA with other areas of the country.
