LAHORE: The Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) have called for the immediate withdrawal of the 0.9 percent Punjab Infrastructure Development Cess (PIDC), urging Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif and other senior provincial authorities to abolish the levy without delay.
FPCCI President Atif Ikram Sheikh said the cess has imposed an unnecessary financial burden on the business community and demanded that customs clearance operations be shifted from Karachi to Punjab by reviving the province’s eight largely non-operational dry ports, three of which are directly connected to railway tracks. He maintained that activating these facilities would help reduce business costs and generate employment opportunities.
FPCCI Regional Chairman Zaki Aijaz observed that rail cargo is more economical than road transport and could significantly lower demurrage charges for traders. The federation also appealed to the governments of Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan to abolish similar levies imposed in their respective provinces.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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