ISLAMABAD: Advisor to the Prime Minister on Commerce Abdul Razak Dawood encouraged the provincial e-commerce councils to formulate an effective coordination mechanism to improve the consumer protection regime for improving consumer confidence in online shopping.
He said this while chairing the eighth meeting of the National e-Commerce Council (NeCC), said a press release issued here. The participants attended the meeting in person and via online video link.
The NeCC is a body of representatives from public and private sector, constituted under the National e-Commerce Policy approved by Federal Cabinet in October, 2019.
The objective of the NeCC is to develop effective collaboration with all relevant sectors for practical implementation of the e-Commerce Policy.
The meeting agenda focused on issuance of the notification for the recently announced tax package for freelancers and the IT industry by the Prime Minister, consumer protection for e-commerce transactions, guidelines for labelling of products sold on online market places and harmonization of definitions for digital services. The Secretary Commerce asked the Ministry of Commerce to coordinate with MoITT, SBP and FBR to promptly have the IT tax incentive package notified.
Additionally, the Secretary Commerce directed the NeCC to collaborate with provincial e-commerce councils in developing robust e-commerce ecosystems in the provinces. The representatives from provincial consumer protection councils apprised on the status of consumer protection laws and their relevance to e-commerce transactions.
The Ministry of Commerce apprised the participants that two key goals under the national e-commerce policy of developing an e-commerce information portal and a B2B trade portal had been achieved in February to guide and support e-commerce businesses.
CEO of PayFast briefed the participants that PayFast, a group company of Premier Systems, is a State Bank licensed and regulated fintech that allows any business to receive payments from its customers through a variety of online payment methods. The company operates with the utmost security and enables payment acceptance for various entities such as E-commerce merchants and retailers, freelancers, corporations and billing entities.
The meeting ended with a vote of thanks to and from the chair. The meeting participants included representatives from SBP, FBR, PRAs, PSEB, Consumer protection councils, Provincial e-commerce councils, P@SHA, Chainstore association Pakistan, MoITT, TDAP, Competition Commission, SECP, Daraz, Sehat Kahani, PayFast, dawaai.pk, women entrepreneurs and other private sector organizations.
