LCCI welcomes reform proposals initiated under PM’s direction to improve EODB

LAHORE: The Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry has welcomed the reform proposals initiated under the direction of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to improve the Ease Of Doing Business (EODB) and rationalise energy and trade tariffs, terming them essential for accelerating export-led growth and reducing Pakistan’s reliance on external financial assistance.

LCCI President Faheem Ur Rehman Saigol said that improving EODB has been a long-standing demand of the Lahore Chamber, as high Cost Of Doing Business (CODB), policy unpredictability and structural inefficiencies continue to impede investment, industrial expansion and export competitiveness.

In a joint statement, LCCI President Faheem Ur Rehman Saigol Senior Vice President Tanveer Ahmed Sheikh and Vice President Khurram Lodhi said that the Prime Minister’s initiative to seek stakeholder input through a high-level committee reflects the government’s seriousness in addressing core economic challenges.

They said exporters across sectors are facing cross-cutting issues including high and volatile electricity and gas tariffs, fragmented taxation, advance income tax deductions, delayed refunds and working capital constraints, which disproportionately affect small and medium enterprises and limit value addition.

LCCI President Faheem Ur Rehman Saigol said that frequent changes in tax policies, energy pricing and tariff structures undermine business planning and erode investor and buyer confidence, particularly during annual export order booking cycles. He stressed that policy predictability, transparency and a rule-based regulatory environment are indispensable for improving EODB and attracting long-term domestic and foreign investment.

He said that rationalisation of energy tariffs in line with regional benchmarks is critical for restoring export competitiveness, as high and volatile power and gas costs continue to inflate production expenses across manufacturing, agro-processing and services. Addressing these issues, he added, would help Pakistani exporters retain orders and compete effectively in international markets.

The LCCI President further said that Pakistan’s cost of doing business remains structurally high due to distorted input tariffs, overlapping regulations, excessive audits and weak inter-agency coordination. He also highlighted the need to strengthen domestic quality, testing and compliance infrastructure to reduce reliance on overseas laboratories, cut costs, shorten lead times and enable movement into higher-value export segments.

Meanwhile, the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA) apprised the local business men about the business development services of SMEDA including pre-feasibilities, planning and taxation to ensure success of an SME. The information provided by a two-member team of experts; Saddam Qazi and Aamir Tariq through a stall set up by SMEDA the other day at the SME Finance & Banking Expo organized by the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry. SMEDA management has highly appreciated LCCI and SBP authorities to hold such an important expo for SMEs. They said that the day-long event had raised awareness about banking community’s efforts to strengthen SMEs’access to finance as per direction of the Prime Minister of Pakistan. They acknowledged that the event was fully successful in offering comprehensive information on SME-focused credit schemes, easy financing options, investment alternatives, digital banking services, Islamic finance products and other financial facilities.

LCCI President Faheemur Rehman Saigol, Executive Director State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Syed Basit Ali, SBP Chief Manager Tariq Riaz, LCCI Senior Vice President Tanveer Ahmed Sheikh, Vice President Khurram Lodhi and SAARC Chamber Vice President Mian Anjum Nisar also visited SMEDA stall while taking a round of the expo, s large number of the prospective entrepreneurs, government officials and representatives of the running SMEs also visited SMEDA stall.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026