Pakistan stock market plunges on new taxes

ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s stock exchange briefly halted trading, Friday, after its benchmark index plunged sharply following an announcement by the newly elected Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif that he was imposing a new, 10% tax on major industries.

Sharif, who appeared on the state-run Pakistan Television TV and almost all other stations in the country, warned that the economy was on the verge of bankruptcy. He said he was taking the measures to “save the country and avoid further taxes on the poor.”

The new tax would apply to industries such as cement, steel, sugar, banking, textile and others. There would also be new, graduated taxes on the wealthy. The measures are expected to go into effect, on July 1, following approval by parliament.

Following the broadcast, the Karachi Stock Exchange benchmark index, known as KSE-100, plunged more than 2,000 points or 4.8%, sending the market into shock and forcing administrators to briefly halt the trading.

It was the last working day of the week before the market reopens, Monday.

Jibran Sarfraz, a businessman in the port city of Karachi, where the stock exchange is based, said the market was reacting to the new taxes levied by Sharif ’s government which are shaking up everyone’s confidence in the stock exchange.

The latest development came days after Pakistan’s currency, the rupee, started recovering after steadily plummeting to 212, an all-time low against the dollar, amid uncertainty about the success of talks with the International Monetary Fund. The rupee traded 208 to the dollar at market’s closing, on Friday.

Pakistan is in crucial talks with the IMF to revive a $6 billion bailout package which has been on hold since former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government was ousted, in April.