Opening branch office, business visa processing: BOI imposes levy on foreign investors

Board of Investment imposed on foreign investors levy on opening branch office and business visa processing besides constituting advisory committees to initiate the public-private dialogue. After the end of BOI's executive committee meeting, Minister for State Saleem H. Mandviwalla informed the media about the decisions being made in the meeting.
He announced that committee discussed the fee for regular permission for opening of branch office, renewal of branch office permission, regular permission for opening of liaison office, renewal of liaison office permission and minimal processing fee for work visa for foreigners.
Giving detail, he said that fee for regular permission for opening of branch office is $3000. Free for renewal of branch office permission is $1000. Fee for regular permission for opening of liaison office is $2000. Fee for renewal of liaison office permission is $500 and processing fee for work visa is now $15. "If companies can pay registration fee to SECP for the services why BOI can't charge for its services", he commented.
In order to promote co-ownership between public and private stakeholders, BOI constituted advisory boards in three sectors-- energy, agriculture, livestock, dairies and fisheries and infrastructure and communication. The objective of these advisory boards is to facilitate the BOI and initiate the public private sector dialogue. Private sector will head these sartorial boards and BOI will be co-chairman. The minister expressed the hope that public private partnership would help raise the inflow of foreign direct investment (FDI) in short and long-run.