Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday directed the urgent reorganization of the National Tariff Commission’s (NTC) legal, administrative, and other institutional powers and responsibilities.
He said this while chairing the meeting on the performance of the National Tariff Commission, said a press release by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
He also said that a third-party review of the recent performance of the NTC should be conducted to make it more effective.
“The NTC’s automated and efficient research capacity can play a key role in resolving the challenges faced by domestic businesses,” the PMO quoted the PM as saying.
Moreover, the premier said that the government was committed to addressing the lack of training and resources of the commission and aligning its work with modern requirements.
PM Shehbaz directed that the Appellate Tribunal of the NTC should be made functional immediately.
Last week, the NTC concluded the first anti-circumvention investigation, extending anti-dumping duties to imports of a slightly modified product that was circumventing duties previously imposed on galvanized steel products.
Moreover, the commission has generated Rs40 billion through anti-dumping duties on the import of over 100 products in the last 25 years.
As per data provided by the NTC, the commission has conducted a total of 150 investigations into the cases of dumped imports since 2000. Out of the total, it imposed anti-dumping duties on as many as 114 cases, generating a revenue of Rs40 billion.