
Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb has announced a simplified tax form for salaried class, cutting the number of required fields from 800 to just 40 in a major reform aimed at easing the burden on taxpayers.
Speaking at a conference on “Building a Resilient Public Financial Management Ecosystem,” jointly hosted by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan (ICAP) and the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA), the minister said the government is shifting focus from policy debate to implementation.
The simplified tax form for salaried class has been published on the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) website for a 40-day public consultation. According to Aurangzeb, nearly 80 percent of salaried taxpayers will benefit from this initiative. “Our goal is to make the tax system more people-friendly,” he said, urging feedback from stakeholders.
Tax Policy Shift Aims for Predictability and Stability
Aurangzeb also announced that tax policy-making has been shifted from the FBR to the Ministry of Finance to improve coherence and strengthen fiscal governance. He stressed that taxation must be rational and predictable, warning that ad hoc measures to fill revenue gaps have damaged industries in the past.
The minister highlighted plans for a new industrial policy designed to attract long-term investment and rebuild investor trust. He acknowledged that inconsistent policies had eroded confidence but assured that the government is committed to creating stable and forward-looking frameworks.
As part of ongoing reforms, Aurangzeb reaffirmed plans to accelerate privatisation, including the closure or merger of loss-making state-owned enterprises to reduce corruption and improve efficiency.
On trade, he explained that tariff reforms are underway to counter the negative effects of excessive protectionism, which has limited competitiveness. He emphasized the need for recalibrated policies to encourage innovation and better integrate Pakistan into the global economy.