Finance Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed has said that the decision on implementing a new pay commission will be made by next government.

The interim government will only carry ongoing reforms to a reasonable stage before handing over a consolidated framework for the incoming administration, he said while talking to reporters after a series of meetings at the Secretariat.

“We can’t say anything final now; the next government may approve it since we have already started the work,” he noted.

Responding to a question about his recent discussions with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), he said, “I had a Zoom meeting with them, and they said they are very happy with our overall economic progress. My final discussion with the IMF will be on 15th.”

He acknowledged that the IMF made several recommendations, including increasing revenue income. “Our tax-to-GDP ratio is low for many reasons. People are often reluctant to pay taxes, and the NBR was inactive for two months, which created challenges. Still, we are trying,” he said.

The adviser added that the IMF also suggested more spending on social protection, especially in health, education, and food. “We are doing reasonably well in food security,” he added.

Asked whether he was optimistic about progress with only three months left before the election, Salehuddin said, “We will consolidate the reforms we’ve already made. Reforms are a continuous process; we’ll package our progress and hand it over to the next government. The major reforms will be carried out by them.”

He also said an independent committee of economists has been formed to make recommendations on tax reforms.

Regarding the banking sector, he identified it as the country’s biggest challenge. “We’ve started work on improving the banking sector, and we’ll gradually move forward. The next government will take it from there,” he said.

On the IMF’s sixth tranche of the loan, the adviser said there is no immediate need for it under the interim government. “The IMF has completed its review and wants to observe how a political government continues these efforts. They will return for another review around February, during the election period, and then make a decision,” he added.