ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Finance, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar has said contribution of traders and business community is a pre-requisite for economic progress in the country. The best way they could help in this cause was to pay taxes and help the government promote tax culture.
He was addressing the 28th Achievements Awards Ceremony organized by the Rawalpindi Chambers of Commerce and Industry (RCCI).
Dar said it is a great pleasure for him to be among top performing businessmen and personalities from other spheres who have played a key role in socio-economic uplift of the country. “I have closely interacted with members of the business community, they have contributed well by putting forth proposals for tax reforms”, he said.
The minister said he is fully aware of the problems of the business community and assured the government is devising policies that can address their genuine issues in an appropriate manner. Let’s sit together, discuss the issues and resolve them, that should be the spirit, Dar said.
The Minister on the occasion said that he wants to convey the message to the investors around the world that Pakistan is excellent destination for the foreign investors. All international rating agencies have given us positive ratings; the latest is Fitch which has awarded us a “B” rating.
The country’s forex reserves stand at a record $18.56 billion; the inflation rate in July–August 2015 has been the lowest in over a decade at less than 2 percent while the Policy rate is at 6. There has been 33 percent increase in the revenue generation in the last two fiscal years – this is all reflective of stability in economy, Dar added.
Appreciating the role of RCCI in the development of the country the Finance Minister said” RCCI has contributed in a number of development activities and it is well represented in government, semi-government and private sector projects. Some of the excellent examples of the contribution of RCCI are Islamabad Stock exchange, Islamabad Dry Port and RRCI Industrial Estate Rawat; these milestone projects are an example of how RCCI is involved in the uplift of the trader community of the region.
The Minister later gave away achievement and honorary awards to top performers in the fields of business, commerce, industry, education and social welfare. He congratulated the winners and the RCCI team, especially President of the RCCI Syed Asad Mashhadi who arranged the ceremony in a befitting manner.
