Islamabad: The Finance Ministry on Thursday strongly rejected a media report, saying that the impression that Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has been given full authority to prepare the next budget is wrong.
A statement issued by the ministry said that some media reports had claimed that the government had entrusted the responsibility of the budget preparation process to Ishaq Dar through a committee; however, this impression is contrary to the facts.
The statement said that the committee formed by the Prime Minister is only for the purpose of reviewing and consulting on tax policy proposals, and it is not right to portray it as a transfer of budget-making powers.
According to the finance ministry, budget preparation, fiscal strategy, expenditure planning and liaison with international financial institutions continue to be under the ministry of finance.
The statement added that Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb himself is also part of this process and is leading financial matters with other international institutions, including the IMF.
The government said that such reports create a false impression of differences rather than institutional harmony, while budget-making is a coherent and constitutional government process.
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