Islamabad: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue has approved the proposed income tax rates for salaried individuals under the Finance Bill 2026, while several lawmakers argued that the relief offered to middle-income earners remains insufficient.
During a meeting chaired by MNA Naveed Qamar, committee members debated the government’s proposed tax structure for the salaried class before endorsing the rates.
PPP lawmaker Sharmila Faruqui said the tax burden on middle-income employees remained high, particularly for individuals earning between PKR 100,000 and PKR 200,000 per month. She noted that salaried taxpayers had contributed around PKR 600 billion in taxes during the current year, while the proposed relief amounted to only about PKR 50 billion.
Calling the relief package inadequate, she urged the government to provide greater concessions to the middle class.
PPP MPA Shahida Akhtar Ali also highlighted concerns over the tax burden on salaried individuals, stating that most complaints received by lawmakers came from members of the salaried class.
Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb defended the government’s measures, saying the reduction in super tax would also benefit salaried taxpayers and adding that public feedback on the relief package had generally been positive.
MNA Javed Hanif likewise described the proposed relief as limited, arguing that middle-income earners had received only modest tax concessions.
Following deliberations, the committee approved the proposed tax rates for salaried individuals and directed that its recommendations be incorporated into the report on the Finance Bill 2026 for presentation before the National Assembly.
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