NA to discuss textile industry’s challenges

State minister assures millers of resolving their issues

FAISALABAD: The Ministry of Commerce and Textile has prepared a summary to highlight the problems and irritants confronted by the textile sector and it will be presented to the National Assembly to pave the way for immediate relief and sustained growth of the critical industry, State Minster for Commerce and Textile Haji Akram Ansari said on Monday.

Speaking to members of the All Pakistan Textile Processing Mills Association, he emphasised that he was fully aware of the challenges faced by the textile sector and was trying to address them.

“However, many of these issues are linked with other ministries and in an attempt to solve them, we will arrange meetings of textile sector representatives with senior officials of these ministries,” he said.

Ansari said he had already brought the delay in release of tax refund claims and abuse of discretionary powers by tax officers to the notice of Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Revenue Haroon Akhtar Khan, who vowed to resolve the problems on a priority basis. Responding to a question about gas infrastructure development cess (GIDC), he requested the association chairman to nominate two or three representatives for discussion on the levy.

Association Chairman Khalid Habib Sheikh outlined the problems afflicting the textile processing industry, saying high cost of doing business, GIDC, sales tax on coal import, turnover tax, withholding tax and stuck tax refunds had hurt profits of the sector.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 14^th, 2017.

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