After over a year: National Tariff Commission made operational

Will now assist domestic industry in trade matters, improve competitiveness

ISLAMABAD: The National Tariff Commission (NTC) has been made operational after remaining virtually defunct for more than a year.

The prime minister appointed the NTC chairman and four other members this week, fulfilling longstanding demands of local industries to address the issue.

The government failed to appoint NTC members, despite the enactment of its act, making the important body virtually dysfunctional for the past one year.

Moreover, the domestic industry continued to suffer due to non-action against dumping - a practice where low-priced foreign goods make their way into the domestic market, rending local industries uncompetitive.

According to the notification, Qasim M Niaz was appointed NTC chairman with three members include Abdul Khalid, Robina Athar and Tippu Sultan, who would decide anti-dumping matters.

Under the new law, the functions of the NTC include advising the federal government on tariff and other trade measures to provide assistance to the domestic industry and improving competitiveness of the domestic industry.

Other key functions of the NTC are trade remedies for problems being faced by domestic producers and exporters, tariff rationalisation and proposals for tariff reforms, removal of tariff anomalies and any other matter relating to tariff or trade measures that the federal government may refer to the commission.

Additionally, the commission also performs functions with respect to international trade and other matters that may be assigned to it by the trade remedies laws or any other law for the time being.

The National Tariff Commission Act, 2015 was promulgated in order to remove the issues of quorum and composition of the NTC, in light of the past practice and in line with the judgment of the Superior Courts of Pakistan.

The Anti-Dumping Duties Act 2015 was promulgated by repealing the old-dated anti-dumping duties ordinance 2000.

All major producers of industrial goods; including but not limited to chemical sector, iron and steel sector, paper and paper board producers, textile industry and ceramic tiles industry of Pakistan filed applications before NTC against dumping and subsidised imports into Pakistan.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 9^th, 2016.

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