SIALKOT: The Sialkot exporters have expressed grave concern over the inordinate delay in the clearance of prolonged pending duty drawback, refund, income tax and sale tax claims on top priority.
Talking to the newsmen here, the exporters Abid Hussain, Arif Mehmood Sheikh, Umer Nawaz , Ejaz Hashmi, Rehan Ahmed , Bashir Mehmood, Ghulam Hussain and Muhammad Aslam said that the Sialkot exporters were much perturbed as their duty drawback, sales tax, income tax refund claims (amounting Rs. 4.5 billion) had been lying pending for the last several years. They said that the inordinate delay in the payment of these refund claims was causing financial crisis for the Sialkot exporters, besides, creating hurdles in the smooth flow of cash in the Sialkot’s export industries as well.
They said that the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) should also encourage and patronize the Sialkot exporters at every level enabling them to struggle hard with full devotion, dedication, enthusiasm and complete peace of mind for enhancing the national exports as well.
They asked the government to also give some financial relief to Sialkot exporters in shape of releasing their all the prolonged pending cases of duty draw back and refunds claims (worth of billions of rupees).
They revealed that the Sialkot exporters were the “roaming ambassadors” which had been playing their vital role in strengthening the national economy by earning the foreign exchange to the tune of $2 billion annually.
Meanwhile, leading surgical exporter Ch. Qaisar Mehmood was elected as Chairman of Surgical Instruments Manufacturers Association of Pakistan (SIMAP) during its annual elections held here.
While, Faizanul Haq Mirza and Aamir Mehmood were also elected senior vice chairman and vice chairman of SIMAP , respectively. These newly elected SIMAP office bearers belonged to the ruling United Friends’ Group