SIALKOT: President Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) Majid Raza Bhutta has said the Sialkot exporters have been playing a pivotal role in strengthening national economy by earning the foreign exchange to the tune of $ 2 billion annually.
Talking to the newsmen, the SCCI President said the national economic and political stability was vital for flourishing the national exports saying political uncertainty had been the major reason behind the visible decline in the national exports during the last few years.
SCCI President Majid Raza Bhutta also urged the government to announce a special package of trade and export-related incentives for Sialkot exporters from the Export Development Fund (EDF) through the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP). He said the direly needed incentives would promote the Sialkot’s export-oriented industries as well.
He said the government should also patronise the Sialkot exporters at every level enabling them to struggle hard with full devotion for enhancing the national exports. He asked the government to also give some financial relief to Sialkot exporters in form of deciding their all the prolonged pending cases of duty drawback and refunds claims worth millions of rupees.
He revealed that the Sialkot exporters are much perturbed as their duty drawback, sales tax, income tax refund claims (amounting to Rs.2.5 billion) had been lying pending for the last several years. He said the inordinate delay in the payment of these refund claims was causing financial crisis for the Sialkot exporters, besides, creating hurdles in the smooth flow of cash in the Sialkot’s export industries as well.
SCCI President narrated that the Sialkot exporters were the “roaming ambassadors” which had been playing their vital role in strengthening the national economy.
