Budget FY2025-26: Punjab govt presents Rs5.3tn ‘tax-free' budget
Punjab Finance Minister Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman on Monday presented the provincial budget for the financial year 2025-26 in the assembly session.
A week after the federal government announced its budget, the provincial government proposed its Rs5.335 trillion budget for the upcoming fiscal year.
As the provincial minister presented the budget, the opposition lawmakers of Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) protested.
He started the budget speech by mentioning the measures taken by the incumbent provincial government.
'I would like to congratulate the political and military leadership for safeguarding national interests during the recent tensions with India,' the minister said.
'We have completed 6,104 projects during the ongoing fiscal year,' he informed.
He shared that the government is establishing the Nawaz Sharif Institute of Cancer Treatment and Research in Lahore at a cost of Rs72 billion.
The provincial government allocated Rs1.24 trillion for development in FY26, an increase of 47% as compared to Rs842 billion allocated in FY25.
'This budget marks a strategic shift in Punjab's history,' said the minister.
Budget FY2024-25: Punjab govt presents Rs5.4 trillion 'tax-free' budget
Earlier, Business Recorder, citing its sources, informed that the upcoming provincial budget will be tax-free, and no new taxes will be introduced. Estimated at over Rs1,200 billion, the new fiscal plan is expected to feature a record-breaking development outlay, emphasising health, education, infrastructure, and tourism.
As per the report, the new budget will include over 850 development schemes, and the key projects include the expansion of Nawaz Sharif Medical City in Lahore, where new hospitals will be constructed under a public-private partnership model. The government also plans to roll out extensive sanitation and clean drinking water initiatives throughout Punjab. Infrastructure development remains a central priority.
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