Next govt to decide on pay commission: Finance Adviser

Finance Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed has said that decisions regarding the new pay commission will be taken by the next government.

He made the remarks on Sunday while talking to journalists after meetings of the Advisory Council Committee on Government Purchase and the Economic Affairs Committee at the Secretariat.

In response to a question, the finance adviser said, “My final discussion with the IMF will be on the 15th. We have already had a virtual meeting. They said they are very happy with our overall economic situation. They acknowledged that we are doing what needs to be done.”

He added, “The IMF has some recommendations, such as increasing revenue income. I have agreed with that. The tax-to-GDP ratio is low for many reasons — people are reluctant to pay taxes, and the NBR was closed for two months, which created a major setback. Still, we are trying.”

He said, “Another IMF observation is that more spending is needed for social protection, especially in health, education, social security, and food. We are doing fairly well in food security.”