Punjab Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said on Wednesday that the provincial government would establish an institution bringing all taxes under a single authority.
Addressing a post-budget press conference, she said the Punjab budget for the financial year 2026-27 had been prepared in a challenging economic environment. She said the government maintained fiscal discipline while ensuring the continuation of development projects.
Aurangzeb said 12,786 schemes had been reviewed over the past two and a half years and unnecessary projects had been discontinued. She said resources were redirected towards priority sectors and long-delayed projects were closed to improve efficiency.
She said maintaining a balance in the development programme was a major challenge during the budget process. The Punjab government, she added, kept expenditure under effective control and set an example of fiscal discipline.
Aurangzeb has maintained that the total outlay of the Punjab budget for 2026-27 stands at Rs5.903 trillion. The current budget for the ongoing financial year was kept 3.2 per cent lower than the previous year.
She said the Punjab government provided a grant of Rs546 billion to the federal government and credited Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz with playing an important role in strengthening the federation.
Aurangzeb said the provincial administration adopted austerity measures and an effective financial strategy, adding that cooperation with the federation and provincial development would continue side by side.
Punjab Finance Minister Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman said the government had completed commitments made in the previous two budgets and delivered record development work across all sectors during the past two and a half years.
He said Punjab would establish a new institution this year on the model of the Federal Board of Revenue, enabling citizens to approach a single department for all taxes under one roof.
At present, the Punjab Revenue Authority, Excise and Taxation Department and other agencies collect taxes separately. The proposed institution would consolidate tax administration and improve governance.
The finance minister said tax collection had improved significantly and Punjab was ahead of all other provinces. He said no new taxes had been imposed and no existing tax rates had been increased during the past two years.
Shuja-ur-Rehman said Punjab faced exceptionally difficult circumstances, including economic pressures and the impact of floods, while continuing to support the federal government.
He said the province had achieved 99 per cent of its target of Rs820 billion in tax and non-tax revenue and that next year's target would be higher than in previous years.
Also Read: Punjab proposes Rs5.9tr budget with major focus on education, industry, jobs
It is pertinent to note that the Punjab government on Tuesday presented a budget of more than Rs5.903 trillion for the financial year 2026-27, with a strong focus on development, austerity, revenue generation, e-governance and industrial expansion.
The budget proposes significant spending on education, health, clean water, sanitation, transport, youth development and export-oriented industries.
Meanwhile, opposition members staged a protest outside the Punjab Assembly and raised slogans demanding the release of the PTI founder. The opposition later entered the assembly chamber in a rally and continued its protest during the budget session.
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