ISLAMABAD: A PPP delegation, led by party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, expressed its reservations related to taxes during a pre-budget meeting with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Sunday, sources told Dawn .
The meeting was held at the Zardari House in Islamabad, an official statement by the PPP said, adding that apart from Bilawal, Sherry Rehman, Naveed Qamar, Murad Ali Shah and Jam Khan Shoro were also present.
اجلاس میں بجٹ سے متعلق امور پر تبادلہ خیال کیا گیا۔
The discussion also covered expenditure, development spending priorities, including the Public Sector Development Programme, as well as broader economic priorities such as fiscal sustainability, public welfare, development initiatives, and inclusive growth.
With the budget for FY2026-27 set to be announced on June 10 (Wednesday), this was the second round of pre-budget talks between the two major ruling partners, the PML-N and the PPP, and the third and final round is expected to be held on Monday.
ذرائع نے ڈان کو بتایا کہ ڈار نے پی پی پی کو یقین دلایا کہ ان کی تجویز کو بجٹ میں شامل کیا جائے گا۔
A source told Dawn that during the previous meeting, the PPP pointed out that provinces had been asked to raise their revenue targets in order to meet the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) requirements.
آئی ایم ایف نے مرکز سے کہا ہے کہ وہ آئندہ بجٹ میں کم از کم 430 ارب روپے مالیت کے اضافی بجٹ اقدامات متعارف کرائے، اس کے ساتھ ساتھ چاروں صوبوں کی طرف سے 430 ارب روپے کی تقریباً مماثل رقم حاصل کی جائے گی۔
ذرائع نے بتایا کہ اس سلسلے میں، پی پی پی نے اِتوار کے اجلاس کے دوران ڈار سے صوبوں کے ٹیکس ریونیو بڑھانے کے طریقے پوچھے۔
Separately, a PPP leader said his party was trying to reach an agreement with the ruling PML-N on fiscal measures in light of the new IMF demands, adding that they were “unhappy with the budget in its current form”.
پی پی پی رہنما نے نشاندہی کی کہ "حکومت ٹیکس کی بنیاد کو بڑھانے کے بجائے ایک ہی طبقے پر ٹیکس لگانا چاہتی ہے۔"
An insider pointed out to Dawn that IMF had set macroeconomic conditions, such as those relating to primary surplus and revenue targets, for the federal budget.
"آئی ایم ایف نے ایک غیر معمولی اقدام میں صوبوں کے لیے اہداف بھی مقرر کیے ہیں،" ذریعے نے مزید کہا۔
PPP leaders told Dawn they opposed new taxes and hoped the government would change its approach to taxation to provide relief to the inflation-hit masses.
One of the sources said the PPP team asserted during the meeting that the government should prefer a broader tax base instead of exerting pressure on the same tax class.
"بات چیت زیادہ تر آمدنی اور اخراجات کے گرد گھومتی تھی،" ذریعہ نے مزید کہا۔
