Federal Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin has said the International Monetary Fund has tightened the screws around Pakistan by showing a rigid attitude towards the country, reported 24News HD Tv channel.
Addressing a news conference in Islamabad on Sunday, Finance Minister Tarin expressed his disappointment over the harsh attitude, the international money lender adopted towards Pakistan.
He said the IMF has asked the government to raise the amount of taxes on salaried class, which the government thought unwise and difficult to be implemented. He said the government was presently holding parleys with the IMF officials in an attempt to bring them around.
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Tarin expressed the hope that Pakistan will be out of the FATF grey list in June.
Announcing that the federal budget will be presented in early June, the finance minister revealed that hectic efforts were under way to slash the circular debt.
Tarin said the Covid-19 pandemic had severely affected the country’s economic condition. But he touted that owing to a better Covid-19 control policy by the Imran Khan government, the country was saved from hitting a major economic catastrophe.
He said the present government put its focus on the development of industrial, agricultural and construction sectors.
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Tarin was of the view that inflation went up all over the world. From now on ‘the government will focus on reducing inflation, he added.
The finance minister said the government was working on short-term agricultural plans, adding that the government wanted to develop this sector to enhance the per capita yield.
He said the government was initiating welfare schemes for the economic wellbeing of the common man. He said that the rich and the poor should get equally benefitted from the fruits of growth.
Tarin said the revenue is being collected from all over the country but it is being spent only in nine cities.
He hailed the services of overseas Pakistanis who sent record remittances saving the staggering economy.
He said government was taking steps to increase the exports adding that ‘we must achieve a solid and steady growth rate.’