Unemployment to reach 8.3 percent in 2021: TJCP.

LAHORE -- 'Economist offer bleak forecast; unemployment is expected to reach 8.3 percent in 2021 and another six million people could fall into the poverty', talking to the media, the Chair of Tax Justice Coalition of Pakistan (TJCP) and Executive Director of Chanan Development Association (CDA), Mr. Muhammad Shahzad Khan stated.

'The civil society statement on the federal annual budget includes the voices of citizens and amplifies their concerns on the budget impact. The statement document scrutinizes the key features of budget with pro-poor lens to see if and how the budget is responding to the needs of ordinary people and whether the government's measures for revenue generation are progressive or regressive', he added.

The Statement on National Budget 2019-2020 booklet is covering the different phenomenon of federal budget and its consequences, which will be borne by general public of Pakistan. As per the statement, total outlay of budget 2019-20 is 7.036 trillion, which is 34 percent higher than last year and 67 percent of it goes to debt and defense. 39 percent of budget financing is through foreign borrowing and grants.

This year growth forecast is 2.4 percent compared with 3.3 percent of last year. Tax target set at Rs. 5.55 trillion, which is 1.5 trillion higher than the previous year. Additional taxes of Rs. 560 billion levied to meet with budgetary deficit. 30% of additional revenue targeted from income taxes, out of which 70 percent is targeted from indirect taxes. These measures are widen the gap between rich and the poor in the society, which is ultimately a journey towards to inequality...