IMF technical team to visit Pakistan on April 14 for budget discussions

A technical team from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is scheduled to visit Pakistan next week to hold discussions with senior officials from the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) regarding taxation proposals for the upcoming budget of 2025-26. 

According to media reports, the visit, set for April 14, 2025, will see talks focused on expanding the country’s narrow tax base, with a particular emphasis on bringing retailers and other untaxed sectors into the tax system.

One of the key issues on the table will be the government’s desire to reduce tax rates for salaried individuals, a move the IMF will likely evaluate as part of broader fiscal discussions. 

Additionally, the two sides will explore the possibility of including the highest bracket of pension earners in the tax net, a subject that remains under review.

The IMF team’s visit is expected to last more than a week, coinciding with the departure of another IMF mission focused on governance and anti-corruption assessments.

In a related development, a high-powered Pakistani delegation, led by Finance Minister Mohammad Aurangzeb, will participate in the upcoming annual spring meetings of the IMF and World Bank in Washington, D.C., scheduled for April 21-26, 2025. 

The meetings are expected to address global economic issues and Pakistan’s fiscal strategies moving forward.