KARACHI: State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Monday issued the Karachi Interbank Offered Rates (KIBOR): Following KIBOR rates as of November 29, 2021:
| Tenor | BID | OFFER |
| 1 – Week | 8.83 | 9.33 |
| 2 – Week | 8.87 | 9.37 |
| 1 – Month | 9.01 | 9.51 |
| 3 – Month | 9.68 | 9.93 |
| 6 – Month | 10.03 | 10.28 |
| 9 – Month | 10.41 | 10.91 |
| 1 – Year | 10.65 | 11.15 |
KARACHI, November 29, 2021 – The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has published the official exchange rates for November 29, 2021, based on the weighted average rates of commercial banks.
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KARACHI: State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Monday signed an agreement for a deposit of $3 billion from Saudi Fund for Development (SFD).
The SBP in a statement said that a deposit agreement between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, represented by the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD), and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, represented by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), was signed on Monday by the Chief Executive Officer of SFD, H.E. Sultan Bin AbdulRahman Al-Marshad and the Governor SBP, Dr. Reza Baqir at the State Bank of Pakistan in Karachi, Pakistan.
Under this deposit agreement, SFD shall place a deposit of USD 3.0 billion with SBP.
The deposit amount under the agreement shall become part of SBP’s Foreign Exchange Reserves. It will help support Pakistan’s foreign currency reservesand contribute towards resolving the adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The deposit agreement reflects the strong and special relationship between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Pakistan and will further augment the economic ties between the two brotherly countries, the SBP said.
KARACHI: Bank Al Habib Limited on Friday said that on its request the Central Bank of Seychelles (CBS) revoked the license of its Seychelles branch operation.
In a communication sent to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX), the bank said that to further earlier disclosure made on September 14, 2021, in respect of in-principle approval from State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) in addition to the approval from Central Bank of Seychelles (CBS) for the closure of Bank Al Habib Limited, Seychelles branch operations.
Now, the Central Bank of Seychelles has informed the bank that it had revoked the banking license of the Seychelles Branch Operations after completion of all the compliance requirements by the bank.
“This decision is in line with the bank’s strategy, and it will not have any material impact on the overall operating and financial position of the bank,” it added.
The disclosure material information is in accordance with Section 96 and 131 of Securities Act, 2015 and clause 5.6.1 (a) of the Rule Book of the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX).
KARACHI: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) should ensure continuity in the revision of immovable property valuation in order to remove disparity in property values and market rates.
The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) in its annual report 2020/2021 on State of Pakistan’s Economy released a day earlier said there was a need to expand revenue by aligning the property values with market prices.
In this regard, FBR has revised the valuation of immovable property rates in July 2019 for various cities. “There is a need to ensure continuity in this exercise to remove the disparity between the property values and market rates,” the SBP said.
The issues of widening fiscal imbalance and declining tax-to-GDP ratio Pakistan, the government has initiated tax policy reforms in past few years. These efforts were further streamlined under the IMF-Extended Fund Facility (EFF) program in 2019/2020.
In overall terms, the ongoing tax policy reforms in the country, like the elimination of preferential general sales tax rates, phasing out income tax exemptions, using third party data sources, etc., are in line with the best practices identified in the literature. However, there is a need to widen the scope of these efforts to ensure a sustained increase in tax base,.
Corporate incomes tax reforms. To improve the base for direct taxes, Pakistan introduced wide-ranging reforms in CIT in March 2021. These included: (i) withdrawal of tax exemptions on 36 categories; (ii) reversal of reduced tax rates to normal rates on various categories; and (iii) conversion of investment and income tax exemptions to tax credits, for instance, persons engaged in coal mining, start-ups certified by Pakistan Software Export Board, export of computer software or IT exports etc. These measures are likely to add around Rs 140 billion in the overall FBR taxes in 2021/2022. To give further support to revenues, excess profit taxes may be imposed on selected sectors on the basis of profitability.
Personal income taxes: PITs in Pakistan are collected through progressive rates on various income slabs. The tax rates on salaried and non-salaried individuals were also increased in FY20 and were kept unchanged in 2020/2021. The revenue in this category may be propped up by increasing the tax rates on the highest slabs or by the introduction of a temporary surcharge.
Consumption taxes: FBR has introduced various reforms aiming at Simplification of GST, and elimination of preferential rates including (i) replacing GST zero-rating regime on five export-oriented sectors (textile, leather, carpets, sports goods, and surgical goods) with normal tax rates in 2019/2020; (ii) eliminating preferential GST rates for sectors like sugar and steel in 2019/2020; (iii) extending GST to e-commerce sales transactions through Finance Act 2021. This step was taken after the surge in sales through e-commerce platforms during the lockdowns. Although currently, the contribution of this head in the total collection is negligible, this is expected to grow with expanding size of digital transactions. The tax base can be further enhanced by curtailing exemptions and improving tax design. Specifically, the tax incentives given during Covid can be gradually rolled back once the economic recovery takes hold.
Capital income taxes: To minimize tax evasion, FBR has initiated the use of third-party data sources through Maloomat Tax-Ray from September 2020. This system collects third-party information (such as banks) for individuals’ assets and withholding deductions, which help in determining accurate tax liabilities. Moreover, it also facilitates the tax-payer in evaluating the accurate tax liability while filing the tax returns.
KARACHI: Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves have declined by $776 million during a week owing to external debt repayment, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) said on Thursday.
The country’s foreign exchange reserves fell to $22.774 billion by the week ended November 19, 2021 as compared with $23.55 billion a week ago.
The reserves held by the SBP fell by $691 million to $16.254 billion by the week ended November 19, 2021 as compared with $16.945 billion a week ago. The central bank attributed the decline in its reserves to external debt repayment.
The foreign exchange reserves held by the commercial banks also came down by $85 million to $6.52 billion as compared with $6.605 billion a week ago.
KARACHI: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday launched an incentive program for overseas Pakistanis sending remittance to their homeland.
The incentive program namely Sohni Dharti Remittance Program (SDRP) offered jointly by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), Ministry of Finance and financial institutions.
SDRP is an innovative program designed to incentivize Pakistani workers abroad to send remittances to Pakistan through banks and exchange companies and earn reward points.
These reward points could then be used to avail of different benefits offered by partner organizations. SDRP can be accessed conveniently from anywhere in the world through a mobile application.
In his address as the Chief Guest, the Prime Minister thanked the overseas Pakistanis for posing confidence in the bright future of their homeland by sending record high remittances of over $29 billion in the last fiscal year 2020/2021 and continuing the trend in FY22.
The Prime Minister noted that his Government has always encouraged and appreciated the efforts of Overseas Pakistanis through various initiatives and programs.
He especially mentioned the incentives like making remittances transfer free of cost, providing free airtime for remittances received through mobile wallets and covering the marketing cost of remittance service providers.
The Prime Minister congratulated the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), Ministry of Finance (MoF), financial institutions, participating public sector entities (PSEs) and all other stakeholders as without their efforts the launch of this remittance incentive program would not have been possible.
He termed the launch of SDRP as a tribute to the Pakistani workers abroad who have been contributing in the development of the country by sending their hard-earned money back to Pakistan.
He also appreciated the concept of giving incentives through a digital application for sending remittances via official channels.
Governor SBP, Dr. Reza Baqir in his welcome address expressed heartfelt gratitude to the Prime Minister for his continuous interest and guidance in developing ways to facilitate the Overseas Pakistanis and workers abroad.
Dr. Baqir elaborated that SohniDharti Remittance Program is another outcome of the PM’s vision. Referring to earlier initiatives, he said that Roshan Digital Account and the Naya PakistanCertificates have been huge successes and the PM’s support has played an instrumental role in it.
Adding further, he said that another initiative like the Mera Pakistan MeraGhar scheme providing low-cost housing finance for first-time homeowners is another example where the PM’s vision and support have led to a significant takeoff of housing finance in the country, which had otherwise been negligible.
Dr. Reza Baqirsaid that he was delighted and privileged to announce the launch of SDRP, which is an excellent combined effort of the Government of Pakistan, SBP, financial institutions and other organizations.
Divulging the details, he disclosed that all home remittances sent from anywhere in the world through legal channels are eligible for inclusion in the SDRP. Besides, funds received in Roshan Digital Accounts which are consumed locally through conversion, and thus become non-repatriable, also qualify for inclusion in the program.
The Governor termed the launch of SDRP another step towards digitalization and financial inclusion that would play a significant role in the digital onboarding of Overseas Pakistanis and their beneficiaries in Pakistan. The mobile application of SDRPis available at both Google android and Apple IOS platforms. He took the opportunity to appreciate the participating banks, PSEsand other stakeholders in this regard as it was due to their hard work that this initiative finally saw the light of the day.
Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue Mr. Shaukat Tareen congratulated SBP, PSEs and other relevant stakeholders for implementing the SDRP as a technology-based solution. He observed that the establishment of Pakistan Remittance Initiative in 2009 was a decision that has worked quite effectively to integrate country’s financial institutions with the ones abroad to help the Pakistani diaspora in sending remittance to their families in Pakistan in a very efficient and cost-effective manner.
Under the SDRP, if an individual sends remittance to the limit of USD10,000 or equivalent in one fiscal year, then he/she will be awarded one percent as a reward and allotted a green card category. Similarly, for remittances sent by an individual between USD10,000 and USD30,000 or equivalent, the remitter would be given 1.25 percent as reward and classified into gold card category. Lastly, for remittances of more than USD30,000 or equivalent, he/she will be awarded 1.5 percent as reward and allotted a platinum card category.
The reward points can be redeemed by remitters and their beneficiaries for availing free of cost services from eight (08) participating PSEs at the moment. The services offered include international tickets by Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and the provision to pay for extra luggage on international flights of PIA.
Along with this, Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has allowed Overseas Pakistanis to pay duty on import of mobile phone and vehicles. The National Database & Registration Authority (NADRA) will provide services related to the renewal of CNIC/NICOP and along with this, they can renew their passports without any hassle. Overseas Pakistanis can avail life insurance premium payment through state life insurance services and a facility to pay schools’ fee of Overseas Pakistanis Foundation schools.
Moreover, overseas Pakistanis will be able to make purchases through a network of utility stores across the country. Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) will provide preferential services to overseas Pakistanis under the umbrella of this program by installing separate counters and provide priority clearance whereas Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) will ensure the placement of standees and banners for the promotion of this initiative.
KARACHI, November 25, 2021 – The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has disclosed the official exchange rates for November 25, 2021, reflecting the weighted average rates of commercial banks.
(more…)KARACHI, November 24, 2021 – The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has released the Karachi Interbank Offered Rates (KIBOR) for various tenors, effective from November 24, 2021.
(more…)KARACHI: The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has released its annual report for 2020/2021, outlining projections for the fiscal deficit and economic indicators for the financial year 2022 (FY22).
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