ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Finance has suspended Eid-ul-Azha holidays for staff responsible for finalizing paperwork as the federal budget for the fiscal year 2025-26 will be presented after the Eid holiday.
In an official directive, the ministry said that officials directly involved in budget preparation should remain on duty during June 6, 8 and 9, and the dates that fall within the prescribed Eid break.
To ensure uninterrupted communication during this critical period, all other employees of the ministry have been directed to remain reachable by phone during the holiday.
The federal budget will be formally presented in the National Assembly on June 10, with a detailed post-budget press conference on June 11.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is insisting on strict budget discipline, including collection of agricultural income tax by provinces by September 2025. It opposes plans to increase electricity usage to absorb excess capacity, insists on cost containment and opposes provincial energy subsidies.
The US-based lender has called for maintaining tax targets of around Rs14.2 trillion, while tackling energy theft and smuggling and focusing on digitization and tax reform.
