KARACHI, Mar 26 (APP): President Dr. Arif Alvi on Saturday urged FPCCI and other trade bodies to link their research and development activities with universities and other higher education institutes to benefit from their research and provide them guidelines to groom market-driven young professionals.
“Our universities are doing a lot of research in many subjects and areas. You can better utilize them, along with becoming partners in bringing up professionals to meet your industrial and trade requirements,” he emphasized while addressing the members of Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry, here at the Federation House, at 9th FPCCI Achievement Awards distribution ceremony.
Prominent business leaders present were FPCCI President Irfan Iqbal Shaikh, Senior Vice President Muhammad Suleman Chawla, Vice Presidents Engr. M.A. Jabbar and Haji Muhammad Yaqoob, former presidents Sultan Ahmed Chawla, Zakria Usman, Mian Nasser Hayatt Maggo, former vice president Khurram Sayeed.
President Alvi praised the business community for successfully running trade and industrial activities in difficult situation of COVID-19 pandemic outbreak and achieved 4 percent economic growth during last fiscal year.
He advised them to cooperate with the government institutions in documentation and digitalization of the economy to ensure better government policies on taxation, investment, industry and trade especially the exports leading to the best business-friendly environment focused on ease of doing business to attract much needed local and foreign investment.
He mentioned that big number of businesspersons mainly the small ones were hesitant to get their business activities documented to escape taxation.
He said that taxation system required further simplification and promotion of awareness among taxpayers including business community who were the major contributors to national exchequer. By widening the tax-net, the government wanted to reduce tax rate to provide relief to the existing tax-payers.
“Bigger the number of taxpayers, lesser will be tax rate,” he pleaded adding that the objective of taxation was to have sufficient funds with the government for running the country’s affairs and carry development work.
He appreciated the present government’s schemes and incentives to trade and industry of the country, mainly offset the Covid-19 shocks.
President emphasized the business community to encourage and ensure the maximum participation of women in their trade and industrial activities. Females are more than a half of the country’s population and without their full participation, the nation could not progress and prosper.
“You, please, encourage female family members to join your businesses”, he asserted.
He underlined the need for increased coordination and dialogue between the government institutions and representatives bodies of the business community as the best partnership in the government and the private sector would definitely help achieve the sustained economic growth and better development in the country.
President Dr. Arif Alvi distributed FPCCI Achievement Award among 29 best performers not only in export but in other sectors.
Earlier, FPCCI President Irfan Iqbal Shaikh and Chairman of FPCCI Awards Committee Khwaja Shahzad Akram apprised President Alvi of the issues facing trade and industry and presented their suggestions.
They were appreciative of the better policies and positive steps taken by the government to promote trade and industry.
