ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Shaukat Tarin has said that sustainable and inclusive economic growth is the key to a strong and vibrant Pakistan, which can open the door for development and prosperity in the country.

Addressing a webinar titled, Budget 2020: Balancing Stability and Growth organised by the Institute of Policy Reforms, on Sunday, the minister said the government’s priority was to increase the country’s exports by giving incentives to textiles, agriculture, industries, manufacturing and information technology sectors to compete in the international market under an integrated policy.

Tarin says current revenue collection is less than 10pc of GDP

He said the Economic Advisory Council (EAC) had already been constituted to evolve development strategies with the help of experts to ensure sustainable growth of about 12 different sectors. The EAC headed by Adviser to the Prime Minister on Institutional Reforms and Austerity Dr Ishrat Husain would give its findings to the government within a week for achieving the agenda of sustainable growth in the country, he added.

Mr Tarin said enhancing revenue collection would be the top priority of the government. He said that currently the revenue collection was less than 10 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product, but expressed the hope that it would increase to around Rs5.8 trillion during the next financial year.—APP

Published in Dawn, May 31st, 2021