Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Tuesday that in the budget for the 2022-23 fiscal, the government decided to redistribute the economic burden on the poor by taxing the rich, media reports said.Talking to the media in Islamabad after a meeting of the federal cabinet, Sharif said: "The policy we have formulated in the budget is that we have decided to redistribute the burden on the poor.
We will tax affluent citizens so the poor are assured the government is giving them relief by taking different measures and is also taxing the rich," Dawn reported.The Prime Minister hoped that those who are privileged would "gladly" lend their support to the country at this critical juncture and demonstrate a spirit of "sacrifice".
"The government will collect hundreds of billions of rupees in taxes through this," he added.The Prime Minister reiterated that the government came into power at a challenging time and took some difficult decisions.However, he asserted that the government would take more difficult decisions in the future if need be, Dawn reported.
"We will not hesitate to take any step which could help strengthen the economy," he said.Sharif said that the government had no other option than to take tough decisions, as he lashed out at the PTI for "violating" the agreement it had signed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The premier also said the country is suffering and witnessing a crisis due to the imprudent economic policies of the former PTI government.The Prime Minister's statement came at a time when inflation has soared in the country with the government hiking fuel and energy prices, Dawn reported.