News

Coping with the inflation cycle

The structural theory of inflation says inflation is caused by a ‘structural’ weakness in a country’s capacity to produce goods or maintain an adequate flow of supply. General under-productivity creates imbalances between supply and demand. Inflation that stems from structural issues may not be easily changed by monetary policy. “The inflation rate is falling faster than we expected, which is a

IMF support and government reforms

Growth is up, inflation is down, and the economy is on a sound path,” stated International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva while announcing the approval of Pakistan’s 25th loan, worth $7 billion, for the next three years. Nevertheless, the IMF cautioned that Pakistan still faces challenges, including a difficult business environment, an outsized state role, and a narr

China to introduce incremental fiscal policy measures

CHINA’S Ministry of Finance is poised to introduce a comprehensive package of targeted new policy measures soon, focused on stabilising growth, expanding domestic demand and mitigating risks. The measures will focus on improving the financial situations of local governments, facilitating the stabilisation of a bottomed out property market, and enhancing the risk resilience and credit allocation

Last day for tax returns: FBR

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has warned that Monday is the last day for submission of income tax returns for the financial year 2023-24. In a statement issued on Sunday, the FBR said that it had already extended the deadline for filling of returns till 14th of this month. The decision to extend the date for submission of income tax returns was taken following requests by various trade

From cash to clicks as digitisation increases

Over the last few years, Pakistan’s banking has reaped massive profits on the back of the sovereign’s ever-growing fiscal needs. In the process, it has drawn the ire of everyone, including the International Monetary Fund in the latest Article IV report, for depending on the government. However, one area where the sector seems to have done well, at least in relative terms, is in digitalisation a