Gas loadshedding to end in 11 days: PM

Gilani scores significant victory as he secures support of country's largest business lobby on RGST bill.

ISLAMABAD:

Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani appeared to score a significant victory on Thursday as he secured the support of the country’s largest business lobby on the reformed general sales tax (RGST) bill among the government’s other revenue enhancing policies.

The Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) is an umbrella organisation of chambers of commerce throughout the country and is widely recognised as representing a substantial segment of the country’s business community. The prime minister was addressing the organisation’s management at a meeting held at Parliament House in Islamabad.

Flanked by some of the government’s senior-most economic policy makers and managers, the prime minister seemed keen to play up his administration’s business-friendly credentials and emphasised that his government viewed the private sector as the key player.

“The private sector is the engine of growth and the government will play the role of a facilitator for promotion of business activity,” Gilani said.

The FPCCI had been outspokenly opposed to the government’s proposal to levy a value added tax, referred to as the RGST, holding a press conference in December 2010 denouncing the plan. However, the finance minister began consultations with the organisation in January to try to work out the differences between the business lobby and the government. Those efforts seem to have borne some fruit as the organisation seemed to indicate on Thursday that it would be willing to support the government’s push for the RGST.

The prime minister announced that interruptions to the supply of natural gas  will end by March 15.

WITH ADDITIONAL REPORTING FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT

Published in The Express Tribune, March 4^th, 2011.