LAHORE: Jamaat-i-Islami emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has urged the government to provide substantial relief to salaried and middle-class citizens in the upcoming federal budget, saying excessive taxation and rising living costs have made life increasingly difficult for ordinary Pakistanis.

In a post on X, he said the government had collected Rs605bn in income tax from the salaried middle class despite the financial pressures faced by this segment of society. He said families were struggling with rising education costs, high electricity and gas bills, expensive fuel, additional levies, taxes on essential food items, healthcare expenses, and persistent inflation while the government policies and economic measures had significantly increased the burden on the middle class.

Calling for relief measures in the budget, he demanded complete abolition of income tax on salaries of up to Rs125,000. He also proposed a reduction of 50pc in income tax rates for higher salary brackets.

He called for lowering the maximum income tax rate from 35pc to 15pc, arguing that the current tax structure put an unfair burden on salaried individuals and professionals.

Published in Dawn, June 3rd, 2026