By Staff Reporter
KARACHI: Business owners in Pakistan are becoming increasingly pessimistic about the prospects and conditions of their businesses, according to the latest Gallup Pakistan Survey released on Friday.
Macro
Dar cancels IMF’s Washington meeting amid political unrest in Islamabad
By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Ishaq Dar has canceled his planned visit to Washington, where he was scheduled to meet with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on an installed bailout programme, to keep his presence in politically tense Islamabad.
Finance committee seeks details of $3bn zero interest loan recipients
By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Finance directed the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Thursday to provide details, including the names and amount, of the 600 individuals who were granted a $3 billion loan at zero interest rate.
World Bank says Pakistan’s GST system falls short by 50pc
By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: The World Bank (WB) has identified a significant gap of around 50 percent in General Sales Tax (GST) on traders in real VAT mode in Pakistan, which could be closed by eliminating exemptions on the registration threshold of Rs 50 million.
Economist Atif Mian warns of Pakistan’s economic catastrophe, blames politicians, generals, and judiciary
By Staff Reporter
KARACHI: Pakistan’s economy is spiraling out of control, from crisis to catastrophe, and now the system is becoming unhinged, warns renowned economist Atif Mian.
Pakistan awaits $1bn from UAE, nears IMF deal with Saudi Arabia deposit confirmed
By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is anticipating an additional $1 billion deposit from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as it moves towards a staff-level agreement (SLA) with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), following confirmation of $2 billion in additional deposits from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, according to local media reports on Wednesday.
Public debt surges by 27.1pc YoY to Rs54.353 trillion
By Staff Reporter
KARACHI: Pakistan’s public debt has increased by 27.1 percent year-on-year to reach Rs54.353 trillion at the end of February 2023, according to data released by the central bank on Wednesday.
World Bank recommends overhaul of cigarette taxation in Pakistan to boost revenues
By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: The World Bank (WB) has recommended the government to abolish the exiting two-tier system and introduce a single-tier levy on the premium excise duty rate for maximizing revenues from the cigarette industry.
World Bank cuts Pakistan’s GDP forecast to 0.2pc
By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: The World Bank sharply lowered Pakistan’s growth forecast for the current fiscal year of 2022/23, saying the country’s economic growth prospects have weakened due to tighter financial conditions and limited fiscal space.
SBP delivers small rate increase of 100bps to fight sky-high inflation
By Staff Reporter
KARACHI: The central bank of Pakistan raised its key interest rate by 100 basis points to 21 percent on Tuesday to contain inflation, which remains at red-hot levels.