ISLAMABAD: People from all segments of the society including economists, professors, students, journalists, and citizens have hailed the federal fiscal budget 2018-19 and termed it as balanced and pro-people, and said it would make a positive impact on the living standards of the common man.
Economic analyst Mirza Ikhtiar Baig said the government has provided relief to the masses especially in the agriculture sector. Subsidies have been provided to farmers on fertilisers and seeds, while the agricultural sector has seen significant growth in this season.
He said the government has allocated two per cent sales tax on fertilisers and also earmarked Rs800 billion to provide loans to farmers in the country.
An economist, Dr Shakeel Ahmed Rai lauded the efforts of the present government in decreasing taxes on salaries, and the corporate sector. He said due to hectic efforts of the government, a number of people have been included in the tax net.
Assistant Professor in Peshawar Farooq Malik appreciated the government for allocating a huge amount in developmental projects and the energy sector which would pave the way to meet the growing energy demands of the country.
He said this budget was also beneficial for government employees because their salaries had increased up to 10 percent and those who were earning Rs1,200,000 annually, were free from tax liabilities.
An analyst, Fareed Ullah termed the budget balanced and people friendly. He said earmarking a hefty amount for education, health, energy and agriculture was commendable. Being an agrarian economy, he said loans would be provided to farmers on fertilisers and seeds.
A student, Abdul Qadeer said the government presented an appreciable budget with limited resources. The government’s focus has been on education, health and other sectors, he said and added that the immense amounts allocated for highways and roads infrastructure, would provide comfortable travelling facilitates to commuters. He also added that the basic infrastructure of a country is a basic necessity, and a raw platform, that can be used by the masses to further increase their own value to the economy by being in a better position to generate income, and hence increase the GDP and GNP of the country.
He rejected the suggestion of opposition parties to present the budget for three to four months.
A citizen, Raja Asghar said the government has presented a friendly budget and as per the aspirations of people. The massive amount allocated for Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) and youth programme to provide relief to the masses was an instrumental step in the right direction, he added. He said the allocation of Rs1,100 billion for the defence sector was what was required to create a stronger Pakistan, that can deter its enemies outside and within.
