Federal Budget 2026-27: Salary Pressures, NFC Disputes, and Industry Revival Demands |Irshad Ansari

In this vlog from Islamabad, Irshad Ansari provides a detailed analysis of the delays surrounding the upcoming Federal Budget for the fiscal year 2026-27. As the government approaches the projected June 12 budget presentation date, the administration faces mounting pressure from both political stakeholders and the business community. Key Highlights of the Report: Budget Delays: The budget draft has faced repeated rescheduling due to ongoing negotiations with the IMF regarding tax thresholds and internal disputes between the Federal government and provinces concerning the distribution of funds under the National Finance Commission (NFC) award. Salary Hike Pressures: The PPP and various representatives are demanding a 50% increase in government employee salaries to combat inflation. However, the government, currently constrained by IMF program conditions, is reportedly considering a more modest increase, likely ranging between 10% and 15%, along with adjustments to medical and travel allowances. Revenue Strategies: The Federal government is shifting its strategy to collect non-tax revenue by prioritizing Petroleum Levies over GST on petroleum products to retain a larger share of revenue for the center. Additionally, there are plans to generate Rs. 1,000 billion through enforcement measures. Provincial Tensions: Tensions have escalated between the Federal government and the provinces (specifically KPK and Sindh) regarding revenue shares. KPK has warned of potential boycotts of the NFC meeting if their due share is not protected. Industry Demands: Local industry leaders, including the Pakistan Business Council and FPCCI, have submitted a "white paper" to the Prime Minister. They argue that the current consumer-led economy is unsustainable and are calling for a shift toward an export-led manufacturing model. They have proposed the creation of an "Industrial Revival Fund" in the upcoming budget to support SMEs and stimulate employment. Irshad Ansari concludes by emphasizing that the government's ability to provide jobs for the country’s growing number of graduates depends entirely on fostering an environment where industries can flourish rather than remain idle due to high taxes and energy costs. Reporter: Irshad Ansari | Islamabad #Budget2026 #PakistanEconomy #IMF #NFCAward #SalaryHike #IrshadAnsariVlog #ExpressNews #IndustryRevival Stay connected with Pakistan’s leading news network for verified updates, real-time breaking alerts, and comprehensive analysis. ■ OFFICIAL LINKS • Web Portal: https://www.express.pk/ • WhatsApp Community: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaDU... ■ SOCIAL MEDIA • X / Twitter:   / expressnewspk   • Facebook:   / expressnewspk   • Instagram:   / expressnewspk   • TikTok:   / expressnews_pk   ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ #ExpressNews #PakistanNews #BreakingNews