Businessmen asked to make
efforts to augment exports to EU
Lahore (Staff Reporter): The business community should step up their production and marketing efforts to get maximum benefit of the market access opportunity granted to Pakistan under the EU GSP Plus scheme, said Arif Anwar Baloch, Secretary, Industries, Commerce & Investment.  Addressing the inaugural session of a training programme on EU GSP Plus scheme, he stressed public and private sector collaboration to enhance competitiveness and augment exports to EU following the grant of preferential access. The training was organized by the International Trade Centre (ITC) under EU funded TRTA II programme in association with IC&I department and Lahore Chamber of Commerce.
Ijaz Mumtaz, President Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry, underscored the need to enhance benefits from the GSP Plus scheme which was achieved after successful diplomatic efforts of Pakistan. He said that in the current scenario, shortage of gas, power and law and order situation have crippled production activities across Pakistan.
Two international experts from EU, Jogi Oshiai from International Trade Center and Ms Josephine Koopman from CBI Netherlands conducted the training.

KCCI asks FBR to announce amnesty scheme for non-filers of GST returns
karachi (Staff Reporter): Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) President Iftikhar Ahmed Vohra has asked the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to announce amnesty scheme for non-filers of GST returns as the number of non-filers have been increasing due to some very stringent provisions of GST laws and procedures. In a letter issued to the concerned authority in FBR, Iftikhar Vohra stated that the proposed amnesty scheme should be announced for those non-filers of GST returns who have been filing Income Tax returns of Nil or nominal amounts within a certain bracket.
President KCCI noted that a large number of small traders, retail shops and manufacturing units in cottage industry have not been filing Sales Tax Returns for several years. He said that in case of Karachi particularly, the issue is compounded by frequent shut downs and unstable law and order situation that has forced many small businesses to close down.
Iftikhar Vohra was of the view that the proposed amnesty will provide a large number of tax payers the opportunity to come back within the tax regime and will eliminate the chronic non-filers who do not have the capacity and required competency to comply with the current tax laws and procedures.

Trade with China: Efforts on to
eliminate problems of businessmen
rawalpindi (Staff Reporter): Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) President Syed Asad Mashadi Tuesday said that efforts were afoot to eliminate problems being faced by the business community in trade with China to further enhance trading activities between the two friendly countries. He said that businessmen should maintain a reasonable balance in imports and exports to stabilize the national industry. He stated this while talking to the traders of China Market during his visit to the said market on invitation of the president of traders’ association of China Market Tariq Khan Jadoon on Tuesday.
RCCI senior vice president Mian Humayun Parvez, vice president Saboor Malik, former presidents Sheikh Shabbir, Sohail ALtaf, SM Naseem and others were included in the delegation.
Asad Mashadi said that Rawalpindi was used as trade corridor for trade with China, Afghanistan, Central Asian States and Kashmir and after Gowader-Khanjraab rail and road link this region would become a trading hub of South Asia. He said that Rawalpindi Chamber was fully aware of the problems faced by the business community of China Market and striving hard to resolve the issues.
President RCCI said that absence of parking plaza and encroachment are the main issues which are hurting businesses in the market. He vowed to take up the issues with authority concerned and take every possible measure to resolve it at the earliest.
Speaking on the occasion, President China Market Tariq Jadoon said that traders of the market have full confidence on Chamber’s policies and ensured his support for every effort of the Chamber for the betterment of the community

MoU for communication system

karachi (Staff Reporter): An agreement was inked between Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) to install the state of art communication system which will be completed in 120 days. According to spokesman of CAA, Deputy Director General of CAA Air-Vice Marshal Khawar Hussain and Chief Digital Service officer PTCL Mohammad Kamal signed the agreement at Civil Aviation Headquarter. He said that the installation will be completed within 120 days, which will help in speeding up the communication process and will facilitate Air Traffic Controllers in transmitting and receiving the data in real time as the system is 99.9pc reliable and efficient.  


State of the art communication system has a backup system in place which will help in transmitting the data via wireless communication, “if for some reason Fiber Optic System failed”. New system will help in enhancing audio communication between Air Traffic Controllers and pilots in a manner that all the communication will take place in real time without any distortion.
Deputy DG CAA said that the new system will not only make Pakistan air space secure and safe but it will also help in setting the benchmark by having state of the art technology in place.  PTCL Chief Digital Service officer thanked Air Marshal (Retd) Muhammad Yousaf, Director General Civil Aviation Authority for showing his trust and choosing PTCL.  He also said that PTCL is the only organisation in Pakistan that can provide such a vast fiber optic and wireless communication system and the necessary expertise in this field.  He further assured that PTCL will do their level best to keep the trust which CAA has bestowed upon them.

Engineering expo from 14th

lahore (Staff Reporter): President of Pakistan Mamnoon Hussain will inaugurate the three-day Engineering & Technology Exhibition Pakistan ETEX 2014 on Friday at a local hotel Lahore under the auspice of Society of Mechanical Engineers of Pakistan. The organizer of the ETEX Agha Zafar Abbas said all that arrangements have been completed. In the exhibition, more than 80 different companies will display products while the main theme will be providing a platform for the recognition of mechanical engineers. The exhibition will provide a link between industry and the engineering and maintain high quality standards and to achieve professional excellence in the field of mechanical engineering.

ETEX 2014 is aimed at bringing together professional, industrialist, services providers and vendors under one roof.