ISLAMABAD: The government is considering amendments to the Export Facilitation Scheme (EFS) to reduce exporters’ compliance costs, streamline security requirements and facilitate new investment and local value addition, while tightening risk-based oversight to prevent misuse of concessions.
Minister of State for Finance Bilal Azhar Kayani chaired the fifth meeting of the Prime Minister’s Committee on EFS on Wednesday and stressed that eligibility criteria and prescribed procedures would be applied uniformly, without exemptions.
The meeting was attended by senior officials of the Ministry of Commerce and the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), representatives of leading exporters’ associations, including APTMA, PTEA, Sialkot Chamber of Commerce & Industry, and prominent exporters.
The Committee reviewed proposed amendments to make EFS simpler, more predictable and responsive to exporters’ operational requirements, while strengthening risk-based oversight.
The review seeks to reduce compliance costs and export-related overheads, facilitate new investment and local value addition, and ensure that concessions are linked to genuine export performance. The Minister of State emphasised that eligibility requirements and prescribed procedures must be applied uniformly, with no exemptions.
The Committee further reviewed the proposed amendments to the EFS, with particular emphasis on simplifying exporter categorisation, rationalising authorisation periods, and improving access to the scheme for new and existing exporters.
The discussions also focused on facilitating compliant exporters, introducing a transparent mechanism, and streamlining security requirements while maintaining appropriate safeguards against misuse.
The proposed revisions aim to reduce compliance costs, encourage new investment, promote export growth, and ensure that the scheme remains responsive to the needs of the exporting community.
The Minister of State stressed the need to simplify the relevant procedures without compromising revenue safeguards and reiterated the Government’s commitment to sustained consultations with exporters and trade bodies.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
Comments