It is probably always better to late than never as the government has finally decided to improve its position at the ease of doing business index. Pakistan is one of the worst countries in the world where little job is the bigger job when it is concerned with a government agency. Pakistan has also the worst record where most of the laws are scary and are with inherent flaws, giving undisputed powers to the government officials to twist the arm of any person any time. The people are even restricted to abide by the provisions of a law when it comes to implementation stage. According to newspaper reports, the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan and the Federal Board of Revenue have now jointly launched a one-window operation to facilitate the potential entrepreneurs to register their companies and get national tax number without wading through the bureaucratic rigmarole. The move is part of the reforms programme under which the country’s position at the ease of doing business index will be improved. The one-window facility will also hold the back-end integration between the computerized systems of the two giant organizations. If implemented in a letter and spirit, the facility will provide an opportunity to the entrepreneurs to login to the eServices portal of the SECP to get their companies registered and receive the NTNs automatically at their email addresses. The government authorities hope the facility will pave the way for achieving higher ranking in the World Bank’s starting-a-business and the composite doing business indicators. This is the most simplified procedure for the business registration and a hazing prevention initiative. It will save an entrepreneur of the hassle of visiting different government organizations and to integrate registration procedures. The facility will not only promote investment climate, but also pay the way for documentation of the economy.
There is lack of coordination and cooperation between the government agencies and the new step will facilitate government-to-government technical integration at the process level and will provide a conducive environment for the potential investors in Pakistan. Another important step could be the capacity building of the government officials who do not want to work and who are the big hurdle in every positive initiative. The government should not only ensure that the computer systems should work properly but also ensure the training and attendance of the staff concerned. The government should tell the officials that it means business and failure of the first practical step toward reforms will be the failure of the economy.
