INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Budget 2018: PML-N eyes next elections in sixth budgetISLAMABAD: Amid lingering controversy over the legality
of federal budget 2018-19, the ruling PML-N government unveiled its sixth consecutive budget in the National Assembly at the twilight of its
constitutional tenure.Miftah Ismail, who was appointed as federal minister hours earlier, presented the budget proposals eyeing the
Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, Syed Khursheed Shah criticized the government on presenting the budget for the next
fiscal year.He said that the present government can present the budget for only three or four months as it is going to complete its
five-year term on May 30 and only the new government emerging from the Elections 2018 can present the budget for the whole year.Later, Prime
Minster Shahid Khaqan Abbasi rejected Shah's reservations saying the government enjoys authority to present the budget
The PM also defended the appointment of Miftah Ismail as federal minister.Despite government assurances, the opposition members staged
walkout of the budget session.The budget, which drew strong voices of disapproval from the opposition benches, will be an all-out effort to
build a narrative for winning the next general election
All should be done but there is need to ensure that the policy of appeasement must not be executed at the cost of plunging the country into
He forecast the budget deficit at 4.9 percent of GDP in 2018/2019.A government document put the total budget outlay for 2018/2019 at 5.9
A budget document said total tax receipts would reach 4.2 trillion for 2017/2018 - barely missing the official target - and Ismail projected
they would jump to 4.43 trillion rupees next fiscal year.The government also set aside 1.1 trillion for the defense budget, increasing it by
about 20 percent from the 920 million that the government had budgeted for the military to spend
Revised figures from a budget document suggest military spending will hit 1 trillion this year anyway.Talking to Geo News, economic analysts
Farhan Bukhari and Mohammad Sohail termed the budget as election-specific, which is aimed at giving relief to the masses.The PML-N's focus
This progress we have made
of GDP.ExpenditureTotal expenditure for 2018/19 seen at 5.9 trillion rupees ($51 billion) TaxationBudget estimates tax revenue of 4.9
trillion rupees.Minister Ismail said the government is using data mining and other technologies to track tax
