A delegation of the Peshawar Chamber of Small Traders and Small Industry called on the Advisor to the Prime Minister on Commerce & Investment, Abdul Razak Dawood, for a meeting today.
The office bearers and representatives of the chamber briefed the Advisor on their activities and their plans for the support and development of the small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) sector.
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The basic issues highlighted by the chamber were related to having representation in policy-making for the SME sector and across the board implementation, and the enforcement of the tax regime within the provincial areas as well as within the merged areas of the FATA.
It was stated in the meeting that the disparities in the tax laws and the non-enforcement of the sales tax regime encourage discrimination between tax filers and non-filers, and need to be eliminated.
While appreciating the efforts of the Government of Pakistan against smuggling, the desire to have IPR enforcement executed all across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Pakistan was also endorsed by the attendees.
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Additionally, the packaging and labeling requirements and the enforcement of regulatory requirements of the FMCG sector for both MNCs and local corporations/companies were also discussed in the meeting.
The chamber also requested the Advisor to support their efforts for the provision of free land to facilitate it in the establishment of its offices in Peshawar, and also in setting up incubation and training centers for the development of SME in Peshawar to cater to the demands of the province.
Appreciating the inputs of the Peshawar Chamber of Small Traders and Small Industry, Abdul Razak Dawood reiterated the desire of the federal government to support the SME sector and facilitate its conduction of business activities in Pakistan.
The chamber’s proposals for the documentation of the economy were accepted and its representatives were briefed about the initiatives that the federal government is taking in this regard.
