‘Rs13b uplift package for Faisalabad to be announced soon’

FAISALABAD: NA Standing Committee on Finance, Revenue and Economic Affairs chairman Fiazullah Kamoka Monday said Rs 13 billion development package for Faisalabad would be announced soon and it would be part of the Annual Development Program of the current fiscal.

Addressing the Meet the Press program arranged by Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FCCI) president Engineer Hafiz Ihtahsam Javed, Kamoka said Chief Minister Usman Buzdar had visited Faisalabad and he personally discussed the development related projects of the district.

He said initially Rs.13 billion had been allocated for the development projects which will be announced very soon. Comparing the current set up with the previous governments, he said the problems of the business community were intentionally ignored by the previous governments, however now the entire government machinery is striving to resolve their genuine problems within the available resources.

The event was also attended by Farrukh Habib, Federal Parliamentary Secretary for Pakistan Railways, MNA Shahzad Khurrum, Shahid Ahmed Sheikh, Chairman WASA, Kashif Zia of Pakistan Hosiery Manufacturers & Exporters Association (PHMA), Chaudhry Muhammad Nawaz from All Pakistan Cotton Power Looms Association (APCPA), Arif Ihsan Malik and Imran Mahmood of All Pakistan Bedsheets and Upholstery Manufacturers Association (APBUMA) and FCCI Vice President Talat Mahmood.

Regarding FBR, Kamoka said it has been reactivated to facilitate the taxpayers through automation which will also plug all loopholes of corruption. About reducing cost of production (COP) and ease of doing business, he said the NA body on finance has approved the ‘One Window Operation’ bill which will hopefully be passed in the next session of the National Assembly.

Regarding economic policies of the incumbent government, he mentioned the new energy package and said it will facilitate the industrial sector in general and SME sector in particular.

He said as a result of our overall policies all industrial units of the city are running with full capacity and its positive impacts will trickle down to the masses by the end of this year which will also resolve the most ticklish issue of inflation.

About duty on yarn, he said this issue has been included in the agenda of NA Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue. “We will make extensive consultation with all stakeholders”, he said and maintained that soon this issue would also be resolved.

About an additional toll-plaza right in the middle of Faisalabad-Pindi-Bhattian Motorway, he agreed that it will create unnecessary problems for the frequent travelers. He assured that he along with other parliamentarians from Faisalabad will have a special meeting with federal minister for communication Murad Saeed and convince him to remove this toll-plaza immediately.

To a question, Kamoka said our total tax collection is Rs 4,000 billion and out of it 58.5 percent are gone to the provinces while Rs 2,700 billion is being paid for the loan installment which the previous governments had received. Similarly Rs 600 billion is required to run the government machinery while Rs 700 billion is required for the Annual Development Program.

About inflation, he said it is an open war against the cartels and mafias and said the government is committed to controlling inflation and the people will soon feel visible relief in their lives.

He termed recovery of deferred amount in the electricity bills during coronavirus lockdown as an anti-people step and assured that he will contact the relevant government departments to immediately resolve this issue up to the satisfaction of the masses.

MNA Sheikh Khurrum Shahzad said during the tenure of the previous government, the exporters were treated like beggars when they demanded their refund claims. He said now refund claims of sale tax and DLTL have been cleared for the months of August and September.

He said textile and construction sectors are working with 100 percent capacity which has created millions of new job opportunities. He said a summary to withdraw import duty on yarn has also been prepared which will be approved very soon. He said cotton production declined during the last 15 to 20 years, however now the government is working on disease resistant and high yielding cotton seeds which will help in enhancing our overall cotton production.

He said in 2013 during the tenure of the PPP government, our exports were around $ 24 billion which stumbled to $ 21 billion in 2018 when there was the PML-N-led government in the country.

He said in 2013 Bangladesh export was also around $25 billion which jumped to $39 billion in 2018. He said due to financial constraints the government could not afford to enhance the salaries of its employees but the private sector has given a rise of 5-10 percent to their employees only due to the hefty export orders received from different countries.

Earlier, the FCCI president welcomed journalists and appreciated their role in highlighting the genuine issues of the business community at appropriate forums.

He lauded the industrial package and said it will have a salutary impact on the overall economy. He demanded one window facility for the investors intending to set up their units in Allama Iqbal Export Processing Zone.

He also underlined the problems of the marriage halls and said the stakeholders must be consulted enabling them to continue their business by following the SOPs in order to contain the threat of Covid-19.

Arif Ihsan Malik of APBUMA also welcomed the industrial package and demanded that the electricity load of the SME sector be enhanced from 70 to 100 KW. He said the government should contact loom manufacturers to set up their manufacturing plant in Faisalabad as per their long term strategy.

The meeting was also attended by Shabbir Hussain Chawala, Syed Zia Alumdar Hussain, Engineer Rizwan Ashraf and Mehboob Alam.