Finance us Pakistan, just don’t joke

Published June 3, 2011
A petrol pump manager:1. It will affect President Zardari! The effects of the previous budgets leave us with no hope from this one.2. Raise the minimum wage.3. Healthcare.4. Increase the defense budget, at least they are more responsible and less corrupt than the government officials, I’d rather see them receive the money than Ahmed Mukhtar or Ijaz Butt.5. Inflation will increase, the government will use us to support its own inefficient and failing organizations like Pakista
A petrol pump manager:1. It will affect President Zardari! The effects of the previous budgets leave us with no hope from this one.2. Raise the minimum wage.3. Healthcare.4. Increase the defense budget, at least they are more responsible and less corrupt than the government officials, I’d rather see them receive the money than Ahmed Mukhtar or Ijaz Butt.5. Inflation will increase, the government will use us to support its own inefficient and failing organizations like Pakista
A man at a bus stop who works in the oil industry:1. There are no benefits to us from budgets, only losses: prices are climbing but salaries stay the same. Expenses are increasing, and inflation is rising. In addition to that the electricity and water problem is not addressed at all. Things are just going to get worse.3. Education.4. No use of increasing the defense budget, they just eat the money while people are dying and all kinds of attacks take place within our cities.5. Inflati
A man at a bus stop who works in the oil industry:1. There are no benefits to us from budgets, only losses: prices are climbing but salaries stay the same. Expenses are increasing, and inflation is rising. In addition to that the electricity and water problem is not addressed at all. Things are just going to get worse.3. Education.4. No use of increasing the defense budget, they just eat the money while people are dying and all kinds of attacks take place within our cities.5. Inflati
A rickshaw driver:1. It’s just going to drain out the remaining life from us. To expect something good from this budget is akin to daydreaming – it's not going to happen!2. Law and order/Crime.4. Yes, it should be reduced, it is too much.5. The prices will continue to rise, this government will continue to take advantage of us.8. There should be relief in prices of consumer products, if they reduce GST then this will help most people to buy everyday goods.
A rickshaw driver:1. It’s just going to drain out the remaining life from us. To expect something good from this budget is akin to daydreaming – it's not going to happen!2. Law and order/Crime.4. Yes, it should be reduced, it is too much.5. The prices will continue to rise, this government will continue to take advantage of us.8. There should be relief in prices of consumer products, if they reduce GST then this will help most people to buy everyday goods.
A Sindh Revenue Board employee:1. Not substantially – It all depends on how well it is implemented, I’d say 50/50.2. The public sector and the internal conditions of the economy need to be improved, we need to continue the privatization that Pervez Musharraf began in 2005 which was a good policy. However the government should retain control of strategic industries like Steel Mills and healthcare.3. Healthcare.4. Defense is the most important sector, plus it’s better to give money to
A Sindh Revenue Board employee:1. Not substantially – It all depends on how well it is implemented, I’d say 50/50.2. The public sector and the internal conditions of the economy need to be improved, we need to continue the privatization that Pervez Musharraf began in 2005 which was a good policy. However the government should retain control of strategic industries like Steel Mills and healthcare.3. Healthcare.4. Defense is the most important sector, plus it’s better to give money to
A policeman at a checkpoint:1. Inflation is going up while our salaries remain the same. I don’t think this budget will make any difference.(Before we could ask any further questions, one of the policeman’s colleagues got nervous seeing our camera and asked us to leave – he was under the impression that we were secretly doing a story to highlight their incompetence.)
A policeman at a checkpoint:1. Inflation is going up while our salaries remain the same. I don’t think this budget will make any difference.(Before we could ask any further questions, one of the policeman’s colleagues got nervous seeing our camera and asked us to leave – he was under the impression that we were secretly doing a story to highlight their incompetence.)
A newspaper hawker:1. The budget will do nothing at all; rates are climbing for all goods while wages stay the same. The budget will not make any difference; it will just break our backs. If the government could gauge how much money each person had, they would take the very clothes off our backs.
A newspaper hawker:1. The budget will do nothing at all; rates are climbing for all goods while wages stay the same. The budget will not make any difference; it will just break our backs. If the government could gauge how much money each person had, they would take the very clothes off our backs.

Dawn.com spent a few minutes each, with six random people spotted in the streets of Karachi and asked them nine questions pertaining to the announcement of Pakistan’s Budget for the Financial Year 2011-2012 later today (June 3).

Q1. In what way do you think will the new federal budget impact the common man’s life? Or does it not matter at all?

Q2. What should this budget tackle first and foremost?

Q3. What section needs the biggest increase of fund allocation?

Q4. Should the funds allocated towards the defence budget be decreased?

Q5. What effect will the budget have on inflation?

Q6. In what way can the budget help the private sector?

Q7. What can be done to alleviate poverty?

Q8. What is your opinion on General Sales Tax (GST)?

Q9. Should we continue taking loans from the International Monetary Fund (IMF)?

– Interviews by Nadir Siddiqui and photos by Hussain Afzal/Dawn.com

You are welcome to join the discussion and share your own views on these questions by answering in the comments section.

Follow Dawn Business on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook for insights on business, finance and tech from Pakistan and across the world.

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