KARACHI: Information Technology is the fastest growing exports sector of the country at present with a growth rate of over 41% during 2014-15.
This was revealed by State Minister for IT Anusha Rehman Khan, while addressing at 4th Pakistan CIO Summit and Expo 2016. She spoke about Ministry’s vision for IT, which is to put in place an accelerated digitization ecosystem to enable socio-economic development, to expand knowledge-based economy, and to spur the economic growth. She mentioned that the government is offering many incentives to investors in IT sector including zero taxes on exports, 100% repatriation of profits, 100% equity ownership, and 7-year tax holiday for venture capital funds.
The Minister emphasized the importance of public-private partnership (PPP) and invited the IT industry to provide its inputs in the IT policy of the federal government to ensure growth of IT industry.
She said that it is optimal time for local industries to use local software to support our own IT industry. She focused on the concept of gender balance in the IT industry and mentioned that the ministry has kept a minimum percentage of 30% females in all industry support programs such as internships and trainings to motivate more females to join the IT workforce.
She said that Pakistan’s IT industry is a rising tide but IT companies have to improve reporting of remittances to formal state bank channels to reflect the true size of the IT industry.
