Govt ‘may postpone’ budget again due to Eid holidays
- Government considers June 12 for budget session.
- NEC meeting clashes with Economic Survey date.
- IMF talks inconclusive ahead of federal budget.
ISLAMABAD: The federal government is likely to further delay the presentation of the Budget 2025–26 due to scheduling constraints posed by Eid holidays, according to Finance Ministry sources.
As Eid ul Adha is set to fall on June 7 and 8 (Saturday and Sunday), sources indicate that the third day of Eid, June 9, will have to be declared a working day to accommodate critical economic proceedings.
The schedule includes the meeting of the National Economic Council (NEC) and the release of the Economic Survey 2025 on the same day.
However, finance ministry sources say it will be unfeasible to conduct both the NEC meeting and the Economic Survey launch on June 9.
The NEC meeting, which typically spans the entire day, finalises the federal and provincial development programmes and is attended by the chief ministers of all four provinces, the prime minister of Azad Kashmir, and representatives from Gilgit-Baltistan.
Traditionally, a two-day gap is observed between the NEC meeting and the formal presentation of the federal budget in parliament. In light of this, officials suggest that the budget may now be presented on June 12, two days later than the currently expected June 10.
A few days back, the federal government had postponed the budget presentation from the initially planned June 2 to June 10, citing unresolved fiscal targets in negotiations with the International Monetary Fund.
Talks between the government and the IMF resumed last week but failed to yield a breakthrough.
Meanwhile, Federal Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb has signalled tax relief for the salaried class, saying the upcoming federal budget will include measures to ease the financial burden on salaried individuals.
Speaking at an event in Islamabad on Monday, the finance minister said the government is actively working to reduce the tax burden on salaried persons, adding that their income is taxed as soon as it is credited into their accounts.
He stressed the need for a strategic direction in the budget, not just a statement of income and expenditure.
