LAHORE: Chairman National Tariff Commission (NTC) Qasim M. Niaz has said that necessary reforms, amendments have been made in the National Tariff Commission Act 2015 to make it business friendly. The organization is administering trade remedy laws against dumped and subsidized imports of goods hurting Pakistan’s domestic industry and is also assisting the industry and making it competitive.
He was speaking at a seminar on “Reforms in Trade Laws Administered by the National Tariff Commission” at the Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry.
The LCCI President Abdul Basit and Vice President Muhammad Nasir Hameed Khan spoke on the occasion and exchanged views on tariff matters, anti-dumping duties, countervailing duties and safeguard measures.
The seminar was also attended by the member National Tariff Commission Robina Ather, the LCCI Executive Committee Members Awais Saeed Piracha, Mian Zahid Javed, Zeeshan Khalil, Mian Abdul Razaq, Moazam Rasheed, Tariq Mahmood, former Executive Committee Members Kamal Mahmood Amjad Mian, Khawaja Khawar Rasheed, Tanvir Ahmed Sufi and experts from different sectors.
The chairman NTC said that previously the Commission had mainly been involved in technical work related to tariff rationalization and removal of tariff anomalies. After the year 2000, main focus was on administering Trade Remedy Laws. He said that National Tariff Commission also advises the government on tariff/trade measures that provide assistance to the domestic industry, on trade remedy actions faced by Pakistani exporters and on rationalization of tariff, tariff reform & removal of tariff anomalies.
The LCCI president Abdul Basit said that the business community welcomes the reforms in National Tariff Commission Ordinance – 2015, Anti-Dumping Duties Ordinance – 2015, Countervailing Duties Ordinance – 2015 and Safeguard Measures Ordinance– 2015.
He said that it will not be wrong to say that in last couple of decades, the dynamics of international trade have significantly changed.
“One cannot expect good things to happen in your favour through signing free or preferential trade agreements, treaties to avoid double taxation and regional trade agreements”, Abdul Basit added.
He said that these agreements can just provide us openings to expand trade relations with other countries but in order to bring rationalization in tariff structures and address the ground realities, there has to be a strong backing of legal framework. He said that NTC Ordinance 2015 will largely play its role in putting Pakistan at better place while negotiating tariff concessions in line with the WTO trade regime.
He said that NTC will have to take necessary measures to deal with emerging global trends in a befitting manner. We expect that all your efforts will lead to improve the industrial competitiveness of the country particularly the export oriented industry.
The participants of the meeting asked many questions including difference between the role of National Tariff Commission and Federal Board of Revenue in policy formation for tariff determination.
