Businessmen satisfied with tax policies: minister

KARACHI: Business community is positively responding to the government’s tax policies, evident from the increase in number of tax payers, senator Haroon Akhtar Khan said on Saturday.  

“We are in process of implementing new policies to bring more improvement in country’s economy,” said Akhtar, minister of state and special assistant to the prime minister on revenue. 

He was speaking at a business and economic summit, hosted by Nutshell Forum and Corporate Pakistan Group.   

Prime Minister’s spokesman Mussadiq Malik said the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is a revolutionary project under which new power plants will be set up and new employment opportunities will be created. 

“Heavy investment will change the fortunes of Gwadar and Balochistan,” Malik said. “Thar will also reap benefits of various projects. New power plants will be established in Sindh, which will solve electricity problems of the province.”

Mohammad Zubair, chairman at the Privatization Commission said Pakistan’s economy was facing uncertain situation in 2013. 

“Government worked day and night in its first three years to revive the country’s economy and our hard work has put the economy on the path of prosperity,” Zubair said. “Pakistan Stock exchange is now the best stock exchange of the region and its rise is a proof of the government’s successful economic policies.”

Muhammad Azfar Ahsan, founding chief executive officer at the Nutshell Forum said think tanks, working in various countries, are playing effective role in policy research and analysis that enable them to make informed and quality decisions about domestic and international policy-related issues. 

“Role of think tanks in Pakistan is very limited,” Ahsan said. “We want to highlight the importance of think tanks in Pakistan.”

Other local and international speakers apprised the participants about the challenges and opportunities of different economic sectors.  

Over 250 delegates, including chief executive officers, ministers, diplomats, energy experts, investors and civil society members attended the summit.