KP Budget 2020.

It is no secret that the country is going through an economic downturn presently. While the economy was struggling even before the coronavirus pandemic, the virus spread can potentially lead to mass unemployment and a fall in business activities. A budget in a time of economic downturn then should aim to cut government spending where it can. At the same time, it needs to empower consumer purchasing power, which it can do so by reducing taxes or not imposing any new taxes. Lastly, the government should focus spending on deep-impact service delivery projects to revive the economy out of depression.

This appears to be the approach that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government is taking with its budget for the financial year 2020-2021. The budget, which was unveiled in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly by Finance Minister Taimur Saleem Khan Jhagra, is a Rs923 billion budget, which PTI ministers claim is 'tax-free'.

The two areas which the KP government has decided to focus on are development for settled and merged areas, with an allocation for Rs317.8...

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