Next budget to focus on COVID-19, not austerity.

ISLAMABAD -- Prime Minister Imran Khan has directed Advisor to Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh to make suitable increase in the federal budget 2020-21 to mitigate sufferings of government employees because of coronavirus.

The Prime Minister has stressed the need for taking measures with wisdom so that economic activity could be generated, but not at the cost of health. The budget 2020-2021 expected to be announced in the first week of the next month is being prepared in view of the coronavirus to minimise the impact of the deadly virus on various segment of the society.

Meanwhile, speaking in a private TV programme Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh has expressed the hope to meet their budget expectations. 'This is the 'corona-budget,' so we would like to mitigate the sufferings of our people and give them a hope, provide them cash, food and recreate employment opportunities for them,' he said.

In the past, austerity measures were the dominant feature of the budget, he said and added that we still need to make expenditures in a way so that public money is not wasted. He said that it was a big economic principle that through government expenditures money goes in the hands of people who generate economic activities and create jobs, which helped in tackling recession.

Dr Hafeez Shaikh says 'corona-budget to help mitigate sufferings of government employees

He said that the budget for the upcoming fiscal year would also feature a balanced tax collection approach.

The government would adopt a strategy for documentation of the economy; however, it would not be so strict that it hurt the businesses. He said that the government...