In its proposals, the PBF said the government should use the upcoming budget to set a clear direction for growth, warning that the business community is currently disappointed with the economic environment.

The forum described the super tax as a measure that was originally introduced on a temporary basis but was subsequently made permanent, and said it should be removed.

The PBF called for special measures in the budget to reduce business costs and said corporate tax should be reduced gradually to provide relief to industry. It also urged the removal of sections 37, 2A, 37B, 14AC and 14AD from the Finance Bill.

To widen the tax net, the forum proposed a fixed monthly tax of Rs 10,000 on traders, with no further questions to be asked from those who pay it. The levy should be embedded in electricity bills to ease collection for both the government and traders, it said.

In the textile sector, PBF said sales tax on local cottonseed and oilcake should be abolished, noting that the imposition of this tax had contributed to domestic cotton production falling to a forty-year low.

The forum recommended a seven-year tax exemption under the Green Pakistan Initiative to promote corporate farming, arguing the measure would enable large-scale development of agricultural land. It also called for the abolition of section 7E to revive investment in the construction sector, along with amendments to sections 8 and 8B.

PBF further said it hoped the revenue generation idea circulating in budget discussions would be rejected, and called for mandatory steps to prevent under-invoicing. It proposed that residential societies be required to convert to public limited companies to improve transparency, protect public investment and promote corporate governance and tax compliance.