Highlights: Pakistan unveils 2022/23 budget, aims for 5% growth

A shopkeeper place a price tag on rice at a shop in Karachi on June 10, 2022. (AFP)
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Updated 11 June 2022
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Highlights: Pakistan unveils 2022/23 budget, aims for 5% growth

  • Budget aims for economic growth of 5% amid pressure to control the fiscal deficit and secure IMF bailout money
  • Targets 5% economic growth for 2022/23 fiscal year after an estimated annual growth of 5.97% for current fiscal year

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Finance Minister Miftah Ismail on Friday unveiled the budget for the 2022/23 fiscal year starting July, aiming for economic growth of 5% amid pressure to control the fiscal deficit and secure International Monetary Fund bailout money.

These are the highlights from the 2022/23 budget:

GDP/DEFICIT

* Targets 5% economic growth for 2022/23 fiscal year, starting July, after an estimated annual growth of 5.97% for the current fiscal year

* Fiscal deficit target set at 4.9% of GDP for 2022/23 vs revised target of 7.1% in 2021/22

* Tax to GDP ratio set at 9.2% for 2022/23 vs 9% in 2021/22

RISKS TO ECONOMY

* Conflict between Russia and Ukraine poses a risk to Pakistan's economy

* Higher crude oil, food prices could stoke high inflation

* Monetary tightening and fiscal consolidation may slow down economic growth

EXPENDITURE

* Federal expenditure estimated at 9.5 trillion rupees for 2022/23

* Development expenditure set at 800 billion rupees for 2022/23

* Pakistan to spend 699 billion rupees on targeted subsidies in 2022/23

* Defence expenditure set at 1.52 trillion rupees for 2022/23 vs 1.48 trillion rupees in 2021/22

* Budget allocates 90.55 bln rupees for education in 2022/23 vs 90.86 bln in 2021/22

* Pakistan cuts health budget to 19.03 bln rupees for 2022/23 vs 154.49 bln rupees in 2021/22

REVENUE

* Revenue target set at 7 trillion rupees for 2022/23

* Aims to raise 96.41 billion rupees from privatisation in 2022/23

* To impose 2% additional tax on income taxpayers with 30 million rupees annual income

* Expects 300 bln rupees receipts from central bank in 2022/23 vs 474 bln rupees in 2021/22

INFLATION

* Budget forecasts average inflation of 11.5% in 2022/23 vs 11.7% in 2021/22

* Consumer-price-index based inflation rose in May to 13.8% year-on-year, the highest in two-and-half years.

* Pakistan raised petrol and diesel prices by around 20% earlier this month

INTERNATIONAL TRADE

* Pakistan's export target set at $35 billion for 2022/23

* Import target set at $70 billion for 2022/23

* Trade deficit target set at 2.2% of GDP in 2022/23

* Budget forecasts remittances of $33.2 billion in 2022/23

AUSTERITY MEASURES

* Ban on buying new cars for govt officials

* Aims cuts in fuel consumption by govt officials

* Funds for debt servicing estimated at 3.9 trillion rupees in 2022/23

OTHER INITIATIVES

* To raise tax exemption limit for salaried income taxpayers

* Announces to promote special economic zones to boost manufacturing

* Offers 5-year tax holiday for film production industry

* To set up 250 mini-stadiums to promote sports

* To exempt import of solar panels from tax

* Exempts 30 pharmaceutical products from customs duty

* Proposes 15% hike in govt employees' salaries

(This story corrects federal expenditure figure to 9.5 trillion rupees from 9.5 billion rupees)

($1 = 202.00 Pakistani rupees)


Pakistan unveils world’s ‘largest’ Markhor sculpture in Kaghan Valley

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Pakistan unveils world’s ‘largest’ Markhor sculpture in Kaghan Valley

  • Massive structure, standing 105 feet high and 38 feet wide, took five years to complete
  • Authorities aim to draw tourists to mountainous north, raise awareness about species

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has unveiled the world’s “largest” sculpture of the Markhor, the country’s national animal, in the scenic Kaghan Valley, Radio Pakistan reported on Friday, highlighting cultural pride, wildlife heritage and the country’s growing focus on tourism. 

By immortalizing the Markhor in stone, authorities aim to draw tourists to the mountainous north and raise awareness about the species, a symbol of national identity and a conservation-success story.

“The massive structure, standing 105 feet high and 38 feet wide, took five years to complete,” Radio Pakistan reported. “The Kaghan Valley, known for its breath-taking landscapes, now hosts this record-breaking tribute, attracting visitors from across the country and beyond.”

The Markhor, a wild mountain goat native to the high-altitude regions of northern Pakistan, including Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has distinctive corkscrew-shaped horns and remarkable agility on rocky terrain. 

Once heavily threatened by overhunting and habitat loss, the Markhor’s fortunes have rebounded in recent decades thanks to conservation efforts and community protection programs. Its increasing population has led to its conservation status being downgraded from “Endangered” to “Near Threatened.” 

Local tourism officials say the new sculpture is expected to draw significant numbers of visitors to Kaghan Valley, giving a boost to local economies while reinforcing interest in wildlife conservation and Pakistan’s natural heritage.