The National Board of All Pakistan Business Forum (APBF) on Saturday unanimously passed a resolution, asking the government to announce soft financing with maximum markup of 3 percent for SMEs to meet the operational charges, salaries, building rental and utility cost, as the rest of the world has been providing loans at zero percent interest to bail out their collapsing businesses.
The APBF office-bearers in their National Board meeting expressed dissatisfaction over the financial package announced by the government for industry to deal with the challenges posed by the Coronavirus, saying mere statements would not work unless solid measures are taken by the government, including a sizable reduction in fuel prices, bringing down key policy rate to 3 percent, regionally competitive energy rates and substantial cut in duties and taxes.
The meeting held here with a view to deliberate the pre and post-Covid-19 effects on trade and industry called for concrete steps to keep industrial wheels running, especially of SMEs, saving the livelihood of millions of workers associated with the small and medium industries.
The meeting was attended by APBF patron-in-chief Haroon Khawaja, Chairman Ibrahim Qureshi, President Syed Maaz Mahmood and many others. The APBF National Board members were representing all trade and industrial sectors of four provinces of the country.
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