LCCI demands immediate withdrawal of gas tariff hike

LAHORE: The Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has invited attention of the government towards high gas tariff and called for shelving any such plans that are bound to ruin the industrial activities, a statement said on Saturday.
LCCI President Sheikh Muhammad Arshad said that at the moment when industrial sector is coping with the challenge of energy deficit, increase in gas tariff is a sheer injustice.
The dream of economic growth cannot come true without ensuring availability of cheap energy to the manufacturing sector; therefore, the government should withdraw recent hefty increase in gas tariff immediately, he said.
Arshad said that despite repeated appeals of the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the government has increased the gas tariff several times.
“Trade and industry is already in deep trouble because of delay in the refund claims, high cost of doing business and withholding tax, while increase in the gas tariff would add to their miseries," Arshad said.
The LCCI president said that increase in gas tariff would jack-up the cost of doing business manifold and oust the export-oriented industries from the international export market where Pakistani products are already facing hard competition.
He said that such anti-business measures would hamper the growth of the manufacturing sector.
The proposed raise in the gas tariff would create multiple problems for the industrialists, as they have to bear heavy losses, while fulfilling their export commitments.
He said that the government always vowed to take the private sector on board, but do not bother to consult LCCI or any other sector-specific association, while making the decisions like hike in gas or electricity tariffs.
The Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry president said that the impact of reported increase would be much bigger than the expectations of the government who should avoid any such decision, keeping in view the economic scenario in the country.
At a time when all the governments in the world are facilitating their respective private sectors, the situation in Pakistan is the other way around and various government departments are tightening noose around the private sector, he said.
He said that even the slightest raise in the cost of production, at this critical juncture would spell doom and oust Pakistani merchandise from the international export market, which would deprive the national exchequer of the much-needed valuable foreign exchange of billions of dollars.