The SCCI president gave a proposal to govt to constitute councils for different segments of exports - leather industry, metal industry, textile/garments industry - comprising all stakeholders (businessmen) along with representatives from Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Industry and Ministry of Finance & Revenue. He continued that Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) should invite the representatives from business community at the time of policy making.
The committee also recommended that issue of infrastructure development cess/ tax imposed by the provincial governments of Punjab and Sindh should be resolved by sending a recommendation to the FBR for onward coordination with the governments of Punjab and Sindh under intimation to this Secretariat. The committee also discussed in detail the matters regarding industrial zones of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
Director Board of Investment (BoI) briefed the committee about the implementation status of the CPEC industrial zones and stated that initially, the government has selected nine economic zones in all provinces and it will offer equal investment opportunities to the Chinese investors as well as investors from the rest of the world. He added that the government has lifted the ban imposed on commercial connections of Sui Southern Gas Company and is looking forward to supply of gas to District Khairpur (Sindh) Economic Zone shortly.
He apprised the committee that provincial governments will develop basic infrastructure and the federal government will provide gas, electricity, etc. Shaukat Khatak, a representative from Board of Investment briefed the committee about the water supply schemes at Gwadar, saying the government will complete its work in this regard soon. The committee recommended that Majid Raza Bhutta, former president Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry, should be nominated for representation in Joint Working Group Committee of CPEC or sub-group of the forum.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2017