Shaukat Tarin doubts coalition govt will achieve 5pc growth

Islamabad: Former finance and revenue minister and PTI Senator Shaukat Tarin Saturday criticised the coalition government for presenting "non-serious" and "unrealistic" budget for the fiscal year 2022-23, saying the government was unable to achieve its targeted 5 per cent growth rate.

The PML-N-led coalition government had presented budget for FY23 on Friday with setting growth target at 5pc.

Tarin told a presser in Islamabad that the budget was of extremely non-serious in nature and had unrealistic assumptions.

Giving his logic, the former finance minister lamented many of the figures and targets given in the budget for various sectors and areas.

"They should understand that the numbers don't lie no matter how much spin-doctoring you do," he added.

Tarin alleged that five new programmes introduced to the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) by the PTI government to increase tax collection were "halted" by the government and it was "resorting to old tactics" such as fixed income tax.