Shehbaz Sharif rules out mini-budget and pushes for faster tax case resolutions

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ruled out a mini-budget while directing the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to expedite decisions on pending tax cases in the Supreme Court. He aims to recover a revenue shortfall of Rs386 billion. Sharif held multiple meetings this week to discuss the FBR's performance and the hiring of appellate tribunal members. He emphasized improving tax enforcement to recover Rs400 billion from a projected Rs7.2 trillion tax gap. The FBR's tax-to-GDP ratio increased to 10.8% in December, slightly above the IMF target. However, the average for the first half of the fiscal year remains below expectations, reflecting ongoing economic challenges.