ACCA Pakistan hosts post-budget dialogue, calling for structural reforms to turn stability into sustained growth

 

ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) convened senior policymakers, business leaders, economists and finance professionals at its Post-Budget Dialogue 2026/27 to assess the implications of the Federal Budget 2026/27 and to examine the structural reforms needed to support sustainable and inclusive economic growth.

Held under the theme ‘Pakistan: From Surviving to Thriving’, the dialogue reflected a national conversation that is shifting from short-term crisis management towards a longer-term agenda of competitiveness and resilience. Bringing together voices from government, industry and the accountancy profession, the session examined the role of fiscal policy, investment facilitation and institutional reform in strengthening Pakistan’s macroeconomic stability and long-term competitiveness.

Participants explored Pakistan’s broader economic outlook, with particular focus on accelerating structural reform, widening the tax base, improving regulatory consistency, strengthening investor confidence and enhancing export competitiveness. The discussion also underscored the role of digital transformation, services exports, entrepreneurship and innovation as central drivers of long-term economic resilience — areas where Pakistan’s growing community of professional accountants has a vital part to play.

As keynote speaker, Khurram Schehzad, Advisor to the Finance Minister, Government of Pakistan, said: ‘The Budget 2026/27 reflects a transition from short-term stabilisation to medium-term economic expansion while providing relief and keeping fiscal responsibility as priorities. Our focus is on improving revenue quality, enhancing transparency, digitising tax administration and creating the fiscal space to support sustainable growth, investment and job creation. Pakistan has made real progress on macroeconomic stability, and the priority now is to convert that stability into sustained economic momentum. The Government is now shifting its taxation model towards a complete faceless system, while enhancing broadening with improved compliance and enforcement, to reduce burden on compliant taxpayer, providing relief to the salaried class, business and industries, especially small businesses, exporters, technology, housing and construction, and agriculture, to ensure sustainable economic growth.’

The dialogue was also attended by Muhammad Azfar Ahsan, Former Minister for Investment who said: ‘Pakistan cannot tax its way into prosperity. It must invest its way into prosperity. The future lies in creating a competitive ecosystem that attracts capital, rewards entrepreneurship and unlocks exports. Investors need consistency, predictability and ease of doing business.’

A platform for evidence-based policy dialogue

The event’s panel discussion was moderated by Amreen Soorani FCCA, Head of Research at Al Meezan Investments, and featured a distinguished line-up of industry leaders: Azeem Hussain Siddiqui, President of ICMA Pakistan; Javed Kureishi, CEO of the Pakistan Business Council; Jawad Chughtai FCCA, Founding Partner of theBPO; Kashif Shafi, Executive Director of the Overseas Investors Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OICCI); and Taha Baqai, Partner at A.F. Ferguson & Co. (PwC Pakistan).

The panel examined the broader economic implications of the federal budget, highlighting the importance of creating an enabling business environment, broadening the tax base, improving policy consistency, encouraging investment and strengthening Pakistan’s competitiveness in regional and global markets. Panellists agreed that sustained reform, policy continuity and institutional trust will be decisive in determining whether Pakistan can convert recent stability into lasting prosperity.

The session concluded with an interactive question-and-answer discussion, followed by closing remarks reaffirming ACCA’s commitment to facilitating constructive dialogue between policymakers, businesses and the finance profession in support of evidence-based policymaking and inclusive economic growth.

Assad Hameed Khan, Head of ACCA Pakistan, said: ‘Pakistan’s next economic chapter must be defined by competitiveness, productivity and inclusion. A budget is not simply a fiscal document, it is a statement of national priorities. To sustain growth, we must accelerate digitalisation, strengthen our exports, formalise the economy, and build a business environment that inspires confidence among local and foreign investors alike. The accountancy profession has a central role in delivering that confidence, through the transparency, governance and trust that underpin every sound economy.’

Through initiatives such as the Post-Budget Dialogue, ACCA continues to provide a trusted, independent platform for the kind of constructive engagement that supports Pakistan’s ongoing economic transformation, reflecting the profession’s enduring role as a force for public good.