ISLAMABAD: Pakistan announced significant income tax relief for the salaried class on Tuesday as it announced its federal budget for the fiscal year 2025-26, aiming to ease the burden on working people amid high inflation and economic uncertainty.

Pakistan’s tax-to-GDP ratio remains below 10%, among the lowest in the region. The government has pledged to raise this ratio to 14% through tax reforms, digital enforcement, and expanding the tax base.

“First of all, we are providing relief where it is most needed, relief for the salaried class,” Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, presenting his first full-year budget in the National Assembly, said.

“In this regard, there is a proposition for a significant reduction in the income tax slabs for the working class.”

Aurangzeb said the income tax rate for individuals earning between Rs600,000 and Rs1.2 million ($2,128–$4,255) annually would be cut from 5% to 2.5%.

“For those earning up to Rs22,000,000 [$7,788], the tax rate has been proposed at 11% instead of 15%. Similarly, those who earn a higher salary, there is a proposition of tax reduction,” the finance minister said.

“For those who are earning between Rs22,000,000 [$7,788] up to Rs32,000,000 [$11,328], the tax rate has been proposed to be reduced from 25% to 23%.”

For high-income earners making over Rs10 million ($35,460) annually, a 1% reduction in the additional surcharge has been recommended to help curb the ongoing brain drain, the minister said.

Aurangzeb described the changes as part of broader efforts to simplify the tax structure and “strike a balance between inflationary pressures and take-home pay.”

The federal budget, with a total outlay of Rs17.57 trillion ($62 billion), comes as Pakistan seeks to stabilize its economy under a $7 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout program approved last year.

The budget also includes a 20% increase in defense spending, while total government expenditure is expected to be 7% lower year-on-year compared to the last fiscal, reflecting fiscal consolidation goals tied to IMF negotiations.

The proposed budget will be debated in parliament before final approval.