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LAHORE, Jan 12 (APP):Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) on Monday welcomed the reform proposals initiated on the directives of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to improve the ease of doing business (EoDB) and rationalise energy and trade tariffs, terming them essential for accelerating export-led growth and reducing Pakistan’s reliance on external financial assistance.
LCCI President Faheem Ur Rehman Saigol said that improving EoDB has been a long-standing demand of the Lahore Chamber, as high cost of doing business, policy unpredictability and structural inefficiencies continue to impede investment, industrial expansion and export competitiveness.
In a joint media statement issued here, LCCI President Faheem Ur Rehman Saigol Senior Vice President Tanveer Ahmed Sheikh and Vice President Khurram Lodhi said that Prime Minister’s initiative to seek stakeholder input through a high-level committee reflects the government’s commitment in addressing core economic challenges.
They said exporters across sectors are facing cross-cutting issues including high and volatile electricity and gas tariffs, fragmented taxation, advance income tax deductions, delayed refunds and working capital constraints, which disproportionately affect small and medium enterprises and limit value-addition.
LCCI President Faheem Ur Rehman Saigol said that frequent changes in tax policies, energy pricing and tariff structures undermine business planning and erode investor and buyer confidence, particularly during annual export order booking cycles. He stressed that policy predictability, transparency and a rule-based regulatory environment are indispensable for improving EoDB and attracting long-term domestic and foreign investment.
He said that rationalisation of energy tariffs in line with regional benchmarks is critical for restoring export competitiveness, as high and volatile power and gas costs continue to inflate production expenses across manufacturing, agro-processing and services. Addressing these issues, he added, would help Pakistani exporters retain orders and compete effectively in international markets.
The LCCI President further said that Pakistan’s cost of doing business remains structurally high due to distorted input tariffs, overlapping regulations, excessive audits and weak inter-agency coordination. He also highlighted the need to strengthen domestic quality, testing and compliance infrastructure to reduce reliance on overseas laboratories, cut costs, shorten lead times and enable movement into higher-value export segments.
Faheem Ur Rehman Saigol said that logistics and trade facilitation bottlenecks including high inland freight costs, port congestion and slow customs clearance must be addressed on a priority basis to improve export efficiency. He also emphasised the importance of expanding access to affordable export finance, credit guarantees and insurance, particularly for SMEs, to support upgrading, compliance and scaling.
LCCI President said that Lahore Chamber is fully prepared to support the Prime Minister and the government through constructive engagement, policy input and private-sector feedback to improve EoDB, reduce cost of doing business and accelerate Pakistan’s transition towards a sustainable, export-led growth model.