LAHORE: Refund issue would be addressed with the introduction of zero-rating regime for export sectors and then all efforts would be diverted to the payment of pending refund claims. This was stated by Federal Minister for Commerce Engineer Khurram Dastgir at a meeting.
Regarding exports, the federal minister said that the GSP-Plus status was one of the biggest facilities earned by this government which had played an instrumental role in making 33 percent increase in exports to the EU countries.
He said that unprecedented boost had been recorded in the exports of readymade garments, leather products and hence this apprehension should be scratched out of minds once for all that Pakistan had failed to harvest the benefits of GSP-Plus and this facility would be withdrawn ahead of its scheduled period.
He categorically announced that this facility would continue up to December 31, 2023 and hence, Pakistani exporters had clear 8 years to further explore new markets and export new products to the EU countries.
He said that Pakistan was the first country that had established a separate organization to monitor the implementation on 27 UN conventions and protocols.
Regarding poor performance of commercial counsellors appointed abroad, he said that ministry of commerce had summoned back all these counsellors.
