The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) projects collecting Rs. 570 billion in taxes from salaried individuals during the current fiscal year, marking a substantial 55% increase from the previous year’s collection of Rs. 368 billion. The first six months of the current fiscal year have already witnessed a dramatic surge, with tax collection reaching Rs. 243 billion—a 300% increase compared to the same period last year. This sharp uptick continues a five-year trend of increasing tax burden on salaried workers. From a modest Rs. 129 billion in fiscal year 2019-20, collections rose steadily to Rs. 152 billion in 2020-21, then…
Author: Raja Zahid Khanzada
The federal government’s expenditure exceeded Rs 8,200 billion in the first six months of the current fiscal year, significantly surpassing its net income of Rs 5,887 billion. According to a report released by the Ministry of Finance on Saturday, the shortfall has resulted in a budget deficit of Rs 2,313 billion. The report highlights that a substantial portion of the expenditure—Rs 5,141 billion—was allocated to interest payments on loans, while federal development projects received only Rs 164 billion. Additionally, defense spending stood at Rs 466 billion during the same period. Meanwhile, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) faced a shortfall…
Samsung’s latest flagship series, the Galaxy S25, has officially launched in the Pakistani market, with prices starting from Rs314,999. The lineup, which includes the Galaxy S25, S25+, and S25 Ultra, is powered by Galaxy AI and other advanced features, making it one of the most highly anticipated smartphone releases of the year. Pre-orders for the new models began on January 24 and ended on February 4, with retail availability following shortly after. Samsung Galaxy S25 Price in Pakistan The official retail prices for the models are as follows: Samsung Galaxy S25 – Rs314,999 Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra – Rs449,999 PTA…
TikTok announced on Friday that it would allow U.S. Android users to download and connect to the app through package kits available on its website, in an effort to bypass restrictions on the popular platform in the country. Apple and Google have not reinstated TikTok to their app stores since a U.S. law took effect on January 19, which requires its Chinese owner ByteDance to either sell it or face a ban due to national security concerns. President Donald Trump, who took office the day after the law went into effect, signed an executive order seeking to delay the enforcement…
Starlink has received approval from Bhutan’s Information, Communication and Media Authority (BICMA) to launch its high-speed satellite-based internet services in Bhutan. BICMA officials revealed that they carefully examined several factors before granting Starlink its licence. The approval was contingent upon Starlink registering as a foreign direct investment (FDI) company, appointing local representatives to comply with regulatory requirements, and ensuring that service quality and data privacy would be protected. The licence granted to Starlink strictly covers internet services through user terminals and does not extend to satellite-to-mobile cellular services. A major issue raised by Bhutanese consumers has been the need to…
Apple is gearing up to shake up its iPhone lineup, replacing the Plus model with the brand-new iPhone 17 Air. This ultra-slim device will be packed with cutting-edge features that could appeal to both Pro and non-Pro users. Here’s what you can expect from the upcoming iPhone 17 Air, launching this fall. The Thinnest iPhone Ever The iPhone 17 Air will be Apple’s thinnest iPhone yet, following the design philosophy of the M4 iPad Pro. Leaks suggest its slimmest part will measure just 5.5mm, making it significantly thinner than: iPhone 16 Pro (8.25mm) iPhone 16 (7.8mm) Apple’s previous thinnest iPhone,…
Japanese startup ArkEdge Space announced on Friday that an observation satellite it helped build for Taiwan’s space agency has captured what could be the world’s best-quality Earth imagery from a spacecraft smaller than a suitcase. The small optical observation satellite ONGLAISAT took 2.5-meter resolution images after being released to orbit about 400 km above the Earth in December, the company said. “The pictures are as clear as aerial photography (despite) being taken by a satellite of this size,” Takayoshi Fukuyo, CEO of ArkEdge, which led the ONGLAISAT mission, told a media briefing earlier this week. He added that it was…
Facebook owner Meta Platforms plans to carry out its expected company-wide layoffs next week while pushing ahead with the expedited hiring of machine learning engineers, it told staffers in internal memos seen by Reuters on Friday. Notices will go out to employees losing their jobs starting at 5 a.m. local time Monday in most countries, including in the U.S., according to one of the posts, authored by Meta’s Head of People Janelle Gale. Employees in Germany, France, Italy, and the Netherlands will be exempt from the cuts “due to local regulations,” while those in more than a dozen other countries…
Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo celebrated his first success and goal after turning 40. According to Sports Star, Al Nassr claimed an easy and dominant 3-0 win over Al Feiha in the Saudi Pro League 2024-25 clash on Friday, February 7, 2025, at the King Saud University Stadium, Al-Awwal Park in Riyadh. It was Ronaldo’s first match after turning 40, in which he scored his career’s 924th goal. After winning the match and scoring a 74th-minute goal, the former Real Madrid player took to Instagram to celebrate his first success as a 40-year-old. He wrote, “A win and first goal after…
Australia were just two wickets away from wrapping up Sri Lanka’s second innings in the second Test on Saturday, with the hosts struggling at 211-8 at stumps on day three in Galle. Leading by only 54 runs, Australia’s side, under the captaincy of Steve Smith, was poised to finish the job early on Sunday and complete a 2-0 series sweep. Angelo Mathews had been the anchor for Sri Lanka, holding the innings together as wickets fell at the other end. However, just 15 minutes before the close of play, Mathews fell to a sweep shot off Nathan Lyon, sending the…
