SCCI urges KP govt to ensure relief

F.P. Report

PESHAWAR: President, Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Sherbaz Bilour has urged the provincial government to materialize its commitments regarding relief to the coronavirus lockdown hit business community.

Steps need to be taken for enabling business-friendly environment in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as flight of capital is sharply witnessing from the province, which has brought unemployment after shifting of many industrial units from KP to Punjab, says Sherbaz Bilour during a meeting with Chief Secretary Dr Kazim Niaz in his office on Thursday.

The meeting discussed the issues pertaining to industrial estates of Peshawar. The SCCI delegation gave a number of recommendations to the provincial government for their amicable resolution.

The SCCI chief who was accompanied by Industrialists Association Hayatabad Peshawar president Malik Imran Ishaq, in the meeting proposed the introduction of a fixed tax regime instead of collection of multiple taxes in the province. He emphasized the need for taking pragmatic steps for industrialization in K-P.
Sherbaz Bilour observed that the industrial growth has been slowed down since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in KP, besides small traders have also adversely suffered from this pandemic.

He stressed the need for materializing promises made by the provincial government with Covid-19 and giving a comprehensive relief to the business community on practical grounds, which would help to revive businesses and boost up industrialization in the province.

The SCCI president asserted that the government should implement recommendations of SCCI and Industrialists Association Peshawar with true letter and spirit. He mentioned that the progress has been made regarding amendments in Certain Fiscal Law (CFL) under the provincial financial bill.

However, he regretted that the legislation process is still underway despite the abrupt resignation of Chief Minister Special Assistant on Excise, Taxation, and Narcotics Control.

Sherbaz Bilour emphasized that the promotion of public-private partnership to resolve business community issues on priority basis.

In this regard, he mentioned SCCI with support of the Sustainable Energy and Economic Development (SEED) Program to strengthen liaison with the business community and relevant government institutions. SCCI is going to set up the Business Dispute Resolution Council in the chamber house to immediately resolve community issues through this initiative, which would further strengthen liaison and bridge between businessmen and the relevant government departments, Sherbaz disclosed.

Malik Imran Ishaq, while speaking in the meeting emphasized the need of strengthening strong liaison between business community and government departments concerned. For which, he informed the government has designed a focal person, which would be provincial secretary industries.