IMF Tightens Grip on Pakistan with 11 New Conditions
Electricity, Gas and Petroleum Price Hikes Among Key Demands
ISLAMABAD — The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has imposed 11 new structural conditions on Pakistan, further tightening its economic programme requirements ahead of the next fiscal year review.Among the key demands are regular and sustained increases in electricity and gas tariffs, upward revision of petroleum product prices, and enhanced autonomy and transparency for the National…
ISLAMABAD — The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has imposed 11 new structural conditions on Pakistan, further tightening its economic programme requirements ahead of the next fiscal year review.
Among the key demands are regular and sustained increases in electricity and gas tariffs, upward revision of petroleum product prices, and enhanced autonomy and transparency for the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
On the taxation front, the IMF has proposed setting the Federal Board of Revenue’s (FBR) tax collection target at Rs 15,267 billion for the upcoming fiscal year. To meet this ambitious target, the government may impose additional taxes worth Rs 430 billion — of which Rs 215 billion will come through new tax measures and Rs 115 billion through strengthened tax enforcement.
Perhaps most burdensome for ordinary citizens is the projected petroleum levy collection of Rs 1,727 billion in the next fiscal year — a figure that signals significant fuel price pressure in the months ahead.
The new conditions are expected to further strain household budgets in a country already grappling with persistently high inflation and sluggish economic growth. Opposition parties and civil society groups are likely to mount resistance against the proposed measures.
