CLICHÉS are an essential part of political rhetoric. But when repeated often, they lose their impact. So when Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb recently wrapped up the National Assembly debate on his ‘relief and growth’ budget — his third — his words sounded uninteresting if not outright boring.

No doubt, there are plus points. The budget gives tax relief to high-earning salaried individuals and concessional loans to farmers, and contains fertiliser subsidies and reduced duties on farm equipment. Individually, these populist measures are welcome interventions, even if none offers relief to low- to middle-income households and salaried people.

Mr Aurangzeb’s commitment to removing direct taxpayer-officer interaction........

© Dawn