RAWALPINDI: President Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI), Usman Shaukat called on the authorities concerned Thursday to introduce targeted safeguards alongside market-based fuel pricing reforms to protect businesses from price volatility.
In a press statement, Usman Shaukat acknowledged the federal government’s initiative to transition toward market-driven fuel pricing via daily adjustments, describing it as a positive step toward fiscal transparency, curbing fuel smuggling, and supporting the State Bank of Pakistan’s inflation targets.
However, the RCCI President cautioned that daily price fluctuations could create severe uncertainty for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), transport operators, manufacturers, and exporters by driving up freight charges, production costs, and agricultural inputs.
To mitigate operational disruption, Usman Shaukat urged authorities to adopt a price-band mechanism with fortnightly revisions instead of daily changes.
He also proposed temporary fuel tax rebates for export industries, targeted subsidies or tax credits for SMEs, and automatic fuel surcharge adjustments for the transport sector to sustain economic growth and market competitiveness.
