Asad assures businessmen of all-out govt support

SIALKOT: Federal Mini­ster for Finance, Revenue and Economic Affairs Asad Umar has assured full support and patronage to the business community to ensure economic growth and increase exports.

He said this while addressing a meeting of the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Monday.

He said that the government is making durable efforts to achieve the goal of economic stability by remo­ving impediments from the way of economic growth.

Moreover, he also hinted at the possibilities of legislative changes in the upcoming budget to facilitate the business community by simplifying tax collection after taking businesses into confidence.

The minister urged expo­rters to come up with strategic solutions to boost exports and assured them of government support every step of the way. He also acknowledged the problems faced by the business community but said the government is making sincere efforts to resolve these issues.

PM’s Special Assistant on Youth Affairs Usman Dar revealed that the government was undertaking long-term planning, evolving effective and positive policies to boost industrial sector, besides, taking business community into confidence to ensure implementation of business and investment-friendly policies in country.

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Chairman Dr Jehanzaib Khan said that the tax system was being made simplified to facilitate the business community.

On a separate occasion, speaking with the businessmen of Lahore, Mr Umar highlighted that the second amendment to the finance bill was just the first set of measures to revive economic activity and growth.

“It is just a first step … we have a long distance to cover. We want to change the present environment of mutual mistrust between the government and the business community, and support new investments,” he told separate gatherings of businesspersons at the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

“The government’s role is to facilitate private sector and enable it to compete in the international markets so that it could act as an engine of local growth and generate employment opportunities,” he said. “Towards this goal, we want to end this environment of mutual mistrust. We are moving in this direction and trying to improve ease of doing business and lower the cost of doing business through our policies.”