Ease of doing business taskforce ready to work with any sector: KP finance minister
our correspondent
PESHAWAR
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Finance Taimur Saleem Jhagra Wednesday said the provincial government was providing all opportunities to facilitate private sector to invest.
“Our government is serious about increasing revenue, but we are equally serious about making business easier for those who pay,” he asserted in a press statement issued here regarding the reforms policy initiated by KP government for Ease of Doing Business in the province.
He said ease of doing business taskforce was ready to work with any sector that could help the government in streamlining business processes, adding the task should have been attempted long ago but not a single past government did so.
Although the process would take a time now, but at the end a much more business friendly Pakhtunkhwa would emerge, the minister concluded.
He said Pakistan was one of the top global improvers in the rankings this year and the country was working hard on reforms to improve the “ease of doing business” in the country.
Jhagra said that PTI government was making efforts to remove all red tapes to make KP province as business friendly destination and added that Pakistan, including Pakhtunkhwa, are nowhere near as business friendly as they need to be.
The Minister said recent meetings with restaurant owners revealed at-least 14 different taxes, fees and inspection points, that no one has ever thought of simplifying.
The culture of government departments that deals with these begins with what is convenient for them, rather than for the end user, he noted.
He said making significant progress requires changing not just fees, rules and processes, but also mindset and behaviors of government adding that it was a real challenge, however, through political ownership, perseverance with the reform process, and attention to detail, the government was making progress.
Finance minister further said that tangible progress would happen because industry, starting with the restaurant sector, was part of this reform process.
“Two things go together. Our government is serious about increasing revenue, but we are equally serious about making business easier for those who pay.” He remarked.
