Prime Minister’s Special Assistant on Revenue Haroon Akhtar Khan on Saturday said that the government was considering more incentives for the industrial sector in the upcoming budget.
He said that hard decisions had improved economic situation which had boosted confidence of investors. Talking to a delegation of Pakistan Computer Association and representatives of IT sector led by FPCCI President Abdul Rauf Alam, he said that the FBR had achieved its target as over one million people had been included in the tax net and enforcement had also been improved.
Members of FBR Rehmatullah Khan Wazir and Nasir Masroor, Munawar Iqbal and Abdullah Malik of PCA and others were also present on the occasion. Khan said that the country could not make progress without IT, therefore, this sector would be given full attention and its problems would be resolved on preference.
Haroon Akhtar Khan said imposing flat rate on import of PCs and laptops was being considered while problems regarding payment on purchase of software was also being tackled.
Earlier, Abdul Rauf Alam said that IT sector was facing different tax rates in different provinces while some rules were unclear which wasadding to the problems of business community.
He said almost three thousand companies and over one hundred thousand individuals were engaged in IT business who needed encouragement. “This business does not require large infrastructure but only human resource, therefore it can help reduce unemployment at a low cost while it can help country earn hefty foreign exchange.”
The FPCCI president said that the government could consider declaring call centres part of IT industry for its rapid growth, adding that attention in this sector could push Pakistan’s exports to three billion dollars in short span. The IT industry could play a major role in bolstering the economy of Pakistan as demonstrated by countries like India, Philippines and Singapore, he added.