Islamabad (Syed Javed Hassan Shah): Ayub Mariani, President of the Quetta Chamber of Commerce, offered a mixed reaction to the federal budget, stating that he appreciates the measures taken to widen the tax base and document the economy. He believes these steps will help stabilize the economy in the long term. However, he noted that the budget is more focused on tax collection rather than promoting industrial development, employment opportunities, and exports.

Mariani expressed that imposing taxes on solar and e-commerce is not a good decision and should be withdrawn. He also criticized the neglect of the agriculture sector, stating it’s not the right strategy, especially since agriculture’s contribution to GDP this year was a mere 0.56%. He highlighted that the agricultural sector received no significant allocations once again.

President Ayub Mariani pointed out that the budget did not announce a reduction in electricity tariffs to 9 cents or interest rates to 7 percent, despite the increasing difficulty for the public to pay electricity bills. On the positive side, he mentioned that reducing FED and withholding tax in the property sector, significant changes in the regulatory duty system, and a decrease in income tax rates for the salaried class are positive aspects of this budget.