LAHORE: The Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) Friday warned the government that continual increase in gas tariff would hamper the economic growth of the country as manufacturing sector requires cheap energy to produce cost effective products.
In a statement issued here, the LCCI Senior Vice President Mian Nauman Kabir said that dream of economic growth cannot come true without ensuring availability of cheap energy to the manufacturing sector therefore, government not only shelve its all plans for increasing gas tariff but also withdraw recent hefty increase in gas tariff immediately.
He said that trade and industry was already in deep trouble because of delay in refund claims, strikes of different circles of business community and energy crisis while increase in the gas tariff has added their miseries.
He said that increase in gas tariff would jack-up the cost of doing business manifold and oust the export-oriented industries from the international export market where Pakistani products already facing hard competition. He said that such anti-business acts would hamper the growth of manufacturing sector.
He said that the proposed raise in the gas tariff would create multiple problems for the industrialists as they have to bear heavy loss while fulfilling their export commitments.
Mian Nauman Kabir said that the government machinery always vow to take the private sector on board but they do not bother to consult LCCI or any other sector-specific association while making the decisions like hike in gas or electricity tariff.
