LAHORE: Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has urged the government to avoid further increase in gas tariff.
LCCI President Ijaz A Mumtaz said in a statement on Friday that at present when economy is excelling and economic indicators are portraying an encouraging picture, increase in gas tariff would dash all efforts of the government.
Any increase in gas tariff would give a big blow to the trade and industry which is trying to supplement the government’s efforts aimed at economic revival despite various challenges, he added.
He said, “Policy makers would have to keep it in their minds that gas is the basic raw material of the industry, increase in its prices would add to the miseries of Pakistani products in the international market.” LCCI chief further said that increase in gas tariff would jack-up cost of doing business manifold and oust the export-oriented industries from the international export market where Pakistani products already facing hard competition. Such anti-business acts would hamper the growth of manufacturing sector, he added.
Mumtaz said proposed raise in the gas tariff would create multiple problems for the industrialists as they have to bear heavy loss while fulfilling their export commitments. The government machinery always vows to take the private sector on board but they do not bother to consult LCCI or any other sector-specific association while making the decisions like hike in gas or electricity tariff. The impact of reported increase from September 01, 2015 would be much bigger than the expectation of the government who should avoid any such decision keeping in view the economic scenario in the country, he mentioned.
LCCI chief said, “Increase in the gas tariff will put extra burden on industry therefore the Ogra authorities should avoid to take such initiatives. By making such decisions, Ogra would not be doing any service to the industry but actually they are widening the gap between the private sector and government.” He said that at a time when all the governments in the world are facilitating their respective private sectors, the situation in Pakistan is totally different and various government departments are tightening noose around the private sector.
