Senior Vice President of Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FPCCI) Sheikh Khalid Tawab has urged the Karachi Port Trust (KPT) to withdraw the tariff charges recently increased arbitrarily and without consultation of the stakeholders. He said that the extremely high increase in KPT tariff was resulting in trickle down affect and leading to increase in cost of doing business for the Pakistani business community ie manufacturers, importers and exporters.
The FPCCI SVP while giving an example of the arbitrary and massive increase in charges for pulling off grounded ships within the Karachi Port premises said that it was sending a wrong signal to the international shipping community. "What is most surprising and disturbing is the manner in which the SRO for exorbitant increase in KPT charges has been issued without consulting the stakeholders which are not only the ship owners but eventually the Pakistani importers and exporters since it is they who are now paying for these exorbitant increases in the KPT tariff," he said.
The FPCCI Senior Vice President advised the Karachi Port Trust to bring down its charges, improve its services and provide better state of the art facilities to attract business rather than increasing the tariff which should be reduced. The arbitrary increase was not only resulting in increasing the cost of doing business for Pakistani commercial and industrial importers and exporters but also would eventually result in Karachi Port losing business, he pointed out.