LAHORE: Pakistan’s leading business federation has pushed back sharply against the government’s reported plan to introduce Rs 230 billion in new taxes under the upcoming IMF-linked federal budget, warning the move could further damage an already struggling economy.
Mian Anjum Nisar, President of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) and Chairman of its Businessmen Panel (BMP), said businesses are already contending with soaring energy costs, expensive financing, currency instability and weak consumer demand. Piling on additional taxes, he argued, would only deepen the crisis.
“The same taxpayers and industries cannot continue carrying the entire national revenue burden,” Nisar said, calling instead for a growth-oriented budget focused on industrial revival, job creation and export expansion.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026