HRCP terms federal budget regressive

LAHORE:

The HRCP has criticised the 2025-26 federal budget, calling it regressive and detached from the lived realities of Pakistan's working class and marginalized communities.

At a press briefing held in Lahore on Tuesday, the commission expressed concern that the new fiscal plan — shaped heavily by IMF conditions and austerity measures — fails to address the severe socioeconomic challenges faced by low-income households amid a lingering cost-of-living crisis.

While the budget includes a modest reduction in income tax rates for salaried individuals, HRCP officials said the move does little to restore the eroded purchasing power of workers whose incomes have been decimated by prolonged inflation from 2022 to 2024.

Of particular concern is the government's decision to maintain the federal minimum wage at Rs37,000 per month — a figure the commission says is insufficient to support a family of six.

Even in provinces such as Punjab and K-P, where the minimum wage has been increased to Rs40,000, the hike is far from adequate when adjusted for inflation, said HRCP.