A session of the National Assembly to discuss the Finance (Supplementary) Bill, 2023, generally known as the mini-budget, was adjourned on Friday without a vote on the crucial tax amendments necessary for reviving a stalled International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme and averting the threat of default.
The session will now resume on Monday at 5pm.
Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf chaired the session, during which lawmakers criticised the government for increasing the burden on the poor by hiking taxes.
Finance Minister Ishaq Dar had presented the bill in both houses of parliament on Wednesday as the government rushed to fulfil the IMF’s conditions for the release of a desperately needed bailout.