Budget 2017-2018: an anodyne view
Courtesy:- Malik Muhammad Ashraf Preparing a budget and selling it to the public, more so to political opponents, is an arduous undertaking even in the most affluent and developed countries, particularly when it comes to new tax proposals and measures aimed at keeping the corporate sector in good stead to spur economic growth. Besides generating much-needed revenue for the government, taxes also affect the people – changing their economic situation. This makes taxes an unpopular proposition. So every segment of the society tries to look at the budget from its own perspective and so there is always a mixed reaction on the budget s presented by the governments. The exercise is even more excruciating in third world countries like Pakistan that are facing financial constraints. Therefore, not surprisingly the budget for 2017-18 presented by the PML-N government has also spurred a debate about who benefits and who loses as a result of it. The debate, however, lacks objectiv