Industrialists welcome supportive measures for agriculture, poultry, textiles, human resources
LAHORE: Reduction of customs duty on various industrial imported items including stock of chicken and, stamping foils, aluminum waste, skins & hides and pharmaceutical items is appreciable. Increase of taxes for non-filers is good but taxpayers should be given maximum facilities. Poor were ignored in the budget.
These views were expressed by traders and industrialists following the Federal Finance Minister Ishaq Dar’s budget speech at the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
They said that said increase in allocations for water and power projects would help get rid of energy crisis. Funds for infrastructure development would also attract foreign investment. It was added that increase in defence budget was need of the hour as country is facing security challenges.
They welcomed supportive measures for agriculture, poultry, textile sectors and human resources. The traders said that business community was expecting zero rated facility for food sector to get due share in the international trade. They said that establishment of infrastructure bank would give immense benefits to the agriculture sector. They said that 10,000 megawatts additional electricity in the system would help overcome energy crisis. They said that increase of taxes for non-filers is good but taxpayers should be given maximum facilities.
LCCI President Abdul Basit said that a number of good announcements have been made in the Federal Budget 2017-18 while some features need attention.
He said that over Rs.1400 billion have been allocated for debt servicing that shows the bad effects of debts to the economy. He said that Kalabagh Dam is once again ignored. They said that raids and business premises and bank account attachment should be stop immediately.
All Pakistan Anjum-e- Trajran President Khalid Pervaiz said that final and the last budget of the incumbent government was final installment of perks and the privileges for the big industrialists and businessmen while small traders and the poor have been ignored as usual.
The LCCI Senior Vice President Amjad Ali Jawa, Vice President Muhammad Nasir Hameed Khan, Mian Muhammad Ashraf, Shahid Hassan Sheikh, Muhammad Ali Mian, Mian Muzaffar Ali, Sohail Lashari, Irfan Iqbal Sheikh, Aftab Ahmed Vohra, Shafqat Saeed Piracha, Syed Mahmood Ghaznavi and executive committee members also spoke on the occasion.
