SIALKOT, Oct 28 (APP):Khawar Hussain Spall, President of the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), led a delegation in two pivotal meetings focusing on ease of doing business with key federal figures.
The delegation held productive discussions with Adviser to the PM on Industries and Production Haroon Akhtar Khan, Director General SIFC Maj. Gen. Sajid Amin HI(M), Coordinator to the PM Rana Ihsaan Afzal Khan, and Secretary SIFC Jamil Ahmed Qureshi.
According to SCCI, the chamber president commended initiatives like the Pakistan Business Portal while strongly urging that exporters be fully exempted from acting as tax withholding agents for federal and provincial authorities.
During the sessions, SCCI Senior Vice President Asad Naseer Malik presented comprehensive proposals to relieve regulatory pressures, highlighting the need to remove the 5 percent withholding sales tax on unregistered purchases for sole proprietors and AOPs, and proposing to harmonize FBR and SMEDA definitions of SMEs to include exporters with up to PKR 2 billion in annual exports. He also emphasized establishing a true one-window facility for the collection of EOBI, PESSI, and WWF.
To further facilitate trade, the delegation advocated for restoring the “no payment, no refund” zero-rating regime for export-heavy sectors, duty-free and DRAP NOC-exempt clearance for R&D samples, and upgrades to the Pakistan Single Window and digitized MOFA document attestation process.
Concluding the meetings, Haroon Akhtar Khan and Maj. Gen. Sajid Amin appreciated Sialkot Chamber’s practical recommendations and assured the delegation of full support in swiftly resolving these issues to foster a business-friendly, export-driven environment.
Source: APP (Associated Press of Pakistan)
