KARACHI: Pakistan Apparel Forum Chairman Jawed Bilwani has said that the grant of GSP status is not enough and the government would have to provide the local industry with infrastructure and utilities to enable it to compete in the international market.
Bilwani said that 10 countries other than Pakistan are in the race and in order to enable the local industry to compete with them, the government must supply utilities at lower tariff, ensure availability of raw materials and monitor exports.
He urged the government to clear the sales tax refund and rebate claims of the exporters to solve their financial crisis so that they could concentrate on making the most of GSP advantage. He demanded of the government to eradicate two percent sales tax on zero-rated sectors, as the refunds in this regard had not been paid to the exporters since long.
Textile exporters have requested the government to freeze the rates of utilities for at least a year with the provision of gas on priority basis.
