PM seeks business community role for economic development

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan Sunday urged the business community of Pakistan to play their effective role for country’s economic development.

In a meeting with a delegation of the renowned industrialists and businessmen, the prime minister said the government was making all out efforts to facilitate the business community.

The meeting was attended by the representatives of Information Technology, pharmacy, textile, plastic, garments and other industries including Aizaz Hussain, Shahid Surti, Abrar Hussain, Khalid Mahmood, Yaqub Ahmed, Shabir Dewan, Khalil Sattar, Taufiq Chinoy, Fawad Anwar, Ijaz Gauhar and Shahzad Ali Malik.

Minister for Planning Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar, Finance Advisor Abdul Hafeez Sheikh, Commerce Advisor Abdul Razak Dawood, Chairman FBR Shabbar Zaidi and other senior officials were also present.

The industrialists presented their suggestions for their incorporation in the upcoming annual budget 2019-20.

The prime minister said that bringing ease of doing business was government’s priority. The objectives of the frequent meetings with the business community was to win their trust, he added.

He said the government’s responsibility was not merely to levy taxes rather to extend facilities to the taxpayers.

The prime minister viewed that the use of Information Technology could contribute well to ensure good governance and betterment of the people.

The government desires to make Pakistan’s export products competitive vis-à-vis their quality and cost to the products from other countries in international market.

He told the meeting that the investors could only be attracted to the country by bringing ease of doing business that would also strengthen the national economy.

He said the government desired to formulate trade and industrial policies in consultation with the business community to remove impediments and address issues confronting them.

The prime minister urged the business delegation to take full advantage of the tax amnesty scheme announced by the government.

He said the government was in process of introducing reforms in FBR to regain the trust of the business community on tax collection system.