The Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) on Thursday said Pakistan can earn huge foreign exchange by paying attention to the massive marble and granite reserves available in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Sindh.

Pakistan is the sixth larget producer of marble and granite but its share in international trade is below two percent which can be increased substantially by paying some attention to this neglected sector, said Vice President FPCCI Qaisar Khan Daudzai.

In a statement issued here today, he said that Pakistan has over 297 billion tonnes of these minerals while over 80 percent of the reserves are located in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and tribal districts.

Ther businessmen dealing in it are too much focused on mining through primitive methods wasting a sizable quantity and export of raw material fetching little money, he noted.

Qaisar Khan Daudzai said that we are adding value to only ten percent of the marble and granite while other countries import it from Pakistan and then export it again to Pakistan and other countries after adding value to it.

Pakistan is producing good quality marble and granite and it can earn huge foreign exchange while reducing unemployment by paying attention to this sector, he observed.

He noted that primitive method of mining results in wastage and poor quality of the stone which can be saved by adopting the latest techniques.

This sector is facing problems like law and order, energy crisis, high cost of electricity, poor road infrastructure, lack of loans etc. which should be considered by policymakers, he demanded.

Government can import the latest machinery from the US and Italy to provide them to mine operators on easy terms and conditions which will help it grab a larger share in the 45 billion dollars global market.

Civil  society organization Idara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi (ITA) hosted a meet and greet session at Faletti’s Hotel, Lahore where bloggers, influencers, vloggers, journalists and other social media celebrities were invited to promote a public discourse on the less discussed topic of Life Skilled Based Education (LSBE).

LSBE has become an important subject for children and youth as schools remained closed for the most part of the year due to Covid-19 pandemic. In these challenging times where cases of child abuse, gender-based violence, exploitation and bullying are on the rise, it has become more important than ever for individuals to have a sound knowledge of self-protection and their rights. ITA’s Utho Bolo project is working to enhance the knowledge of youth about these important subjects. 

The meet and greet was held as part of the project’s social media campaign which taps into different media channels to engage and motivate young people to advocate for LSBE. The event saw a small presentation on the importance of LSBE, followed by an open house discussion on the topic. The participants shared their experiences and helped promote the cause through pictures, shout-outs and by posting related content on social media. The participants also agreed for a need for increased awareness about these subjects. 

This is especially important when Pakistan is going through a period of demographic dividend and currently has the largest cohort of young population in its history. According to a recent report by UN, Pakistan has 68 per cent of total population under the age of 30 with 27 per cent of the population between 15-29 years of age and around 32 per cent between 10-15 years. Adolescents and youth lack the necessary information, knowledge and understanding about gender equality, self-protection and the importance of LSBE. The meet and greet was thus aimed at engaging youth to build their knowledge, capacity, and leadership skills besides spreading awareness about life skills based education and inclusion of life skills in curriculum and books.

ITA is implementing the Utho Bolo project that takes young people (aged 10-24) on a journey of self-discovery, transforming them into confident individuals. It uses the holistic approach of positive youth development, and contains activities to build young people’s social and emotional competences. The Utho Bolo Alliance is running a media campaign to sustain these efforts post-2020 by engaging key stakeholders, including policy makers, civil society members, social media influencers, media representatives, community influencers, teachers, government officials and young people through different proposed initiatives. 

Karachi: Indus Motor Company (IMC) has once again been recognized for its unwavering commitment towards the environment after it bagged the 17^th Annual Environment Excellence Award 2020. The ceremony was organized by the National Forum for Environment & Health (NFEH) at Karachi.

Since 2004, this is the 10^th time and the 4^th consecutive year since 2017, this award has been bestowed upon the Company by the NFEH, a non-profit organization focused on creating public awareness on environmental, healthcare and educational issues in Pakistan.

Recognized amongst the top organizations of Pakistan for its leading efforts to protect the environment, the award secured by IMC underlines the Company’s vision, contribution to protect environment conservation, and its robust CSR programs.

Expressing his views, CEO IMC, Ali Asghar Jamali said, “We are pleased that this honor has been conferred upon us again by the NFEH as we strive to show our commitment to the people of Pakistan and do everything in our capacity to improve our environment.” He further added “IMC takes pride in its CSR initiatives and we are keeping shoulders to the wheel to make a meaningful impact for our communities and set an example as a leader in corporate social responsibility.”

IMC was awarded after the assessment and congruence of a panel of valued jury consisting of corporate and government dignitaries.

Islamabad :Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) successfully concludes Justuju, an exclusive internship program for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs).

The six weeks internship included a structured professional development plan for 20 interns based in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi. The selected cohort of interns came from a varied background of education and required accommodation for either hearing/speech impairment, visual impairment or restricted mobility. 

The program was conducted via PTCL mentors who assisted the interns against a weekly scorecard on time management, official communication, task delivery, organizational/functional knowledge and Microsoft Teams. Sessions were facilitated by Sign Language Interpreters courtesy of DeafTawk. The program further included webinars on overcoming adversity and customized feedback sessions. The aim was to equip these young graduates with professional skills necessary to kick-start their career in the corporate world.

Speaking about the internship program, Syed Mazhar Hussain, Group Chief Human Resource Officer, PTCL & Ufone, said, “With the Justuju program, PTCL endeavors to enable PWDs in honing their skills so that they can be well-equipped for today’s competitive working environment. We encourage them to use their unique approach and critical thinking for problem solving and decision making. PTCL being a national company endorses and practices inclusivity where all individuals can contribute to business growth and the country’s economy.”

The program was largely conducted on digital platforms. However, the interns got an opportunity to visit PTCL offices and experience the corporate working culture in person during the last few weeks. 

PTCL remains committed to taking similar initiatives in the future, focusing on capacity building of youth from all walks of life.

By:Naveed Ahmad Khan

Ceremony for Parametric computer balloting as per the Audit Policy, 2019 for selection of cases for audit for Tax Year 2018 in respect of persons or classes of persons falling under all or any of the three domestic Federal Tax Statutes i.e. Income Tax Ordinance 2001, Sales Tax Act 1990, and Federal Excise Act 2005 was held at Federal Board of Revenue, Headquarter, Islamabad. On this occasion, Advisor to the Prime Minister on Finance & Revenue, Dr. Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, representatives of Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FPCCI), Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan (ICAP), Pakistan Tax Bar Association (PTBA), Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Islamabad Women Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce & Industry, All Pakistan Tax Advisors Association and FBR’s Officers were present.

The criteria for selection of cases (for all taxes) for Tax Year 2018 is risk based and parametric. Cases have been selected on scientific approach for which a software has been designed and put in place named as “Risk Based Audit Management System” (RAMS). This software empowers Federal Board of Revenue to focus on non compliant taxpayers and thus facilitate compliant taxpayers helping build confidence of taxpayers in the Audit system.
Chairman FBR Muhammad Javed Ghani said that FBR is working on the principles of transparency, simplicity and predictability and informed that certain categories of the taxpayers are excluded from selection i.e. those picked up for investigations by FBR Intelligence & Investigations Wing, all cases where income chargeable to tax under the head salary and /or pension exceeds 50% of taxable income, except cases having business income. Directors of companies do not qualify for this exclusion. All cases where entire income is covered under Final Tax Regime (FTR), all cases where declaration has been made under the Voluntary Declaration of Domestic Assets Act, 2018, all cases where declaration has been made under the Asset Declaration Ordinance, 2019 and Federal, Provincial and Local Government Departments, have also been excluded.
The Advisor to the Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue, Dr. Abdul Hafeez Shaikh in his address to the participants of ceremony said that the selection of audit cases would be computerized and on risk basis. The advisor also explain that minimum number of cases are being selected for audit by focusing on only high-risk Income tax, Sales tax and FED cases so that audit cases should be completed appropriately and within time. This will also help in reducing the complaints of taxpayers about harassment and corruption. In addition to this, the exclusions in Audit Policy will minimize the undue hardships faced by taxpayers.
Dr. Abdul Hafeez Shaikh also hoped that FBR will continue to improve its standards by providing services to both the government departments and the taxpayers. Against this backdrop, FBR has published Annual Tax Directories 2018 which contains the tax details of common taxpayers and members of the Senate of Pakistan, National as well as Provincial Assemblies so that people of Pakistan can access information.
He further added that this time no new tax has been imposed under current Budget to provide relief. The Advisor assured the business community of his full support and expressed hope that the future is more promising for Pakistan’s Business sector. For this, government has also provided subsidies to Export Sector. FBR has taken initiative to sanction more sales Tax refunds this year than in previous year. For this, FBR has introduced the online FASTER system so that refund claims are processed without involvement of tax officials. In order to further build up the taxpayers confidence, two committees are constituted for redressal of complaints against FBR comprising of Business Committee including representatives of FBR and Business individuals and Technical Committee for complaints about refund matters that would also include representatives from private sector.
In order to carry out parametric computer balloting, Mr. Abdul Hafeez Sheikh, Advisor to the Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue, initiated the ballot process by pressing the computer button for Income Tax Cases, Muhammad Javed Ghani Chairman FBR pressed button for Sales Tax and Mr. Aftab Hussain Nagra, President Pakistan Tax Bar Association pressed the button for Federal Excise Duty, Resultantly, the cases were selected for audit for Tax Year 2018. The number of cases selected for audit in a totally transparent manner in respect of different categories are detailed as under:
i. Income Tax (Corporate/Non-Corporate) – 10,441
ii. Sales Tax (Corporate/Non-Corporate)- 2,065
iii. Federal Excise Duty(Corporate/Non-Corporate)- 27
Total – 12,553
Keeping in view the facilitation of taxpayers, this year lesser number of cases have been picked up when compared with previous years. National Tax Numbers/ CNIC’s of cases selected for audit have been displayed on the official website of FBR. The Audit Policy, 2019 pertaining to Tax Year 2018 has also been placed on the website of FBR which can be accessed at https://www.fbr.gov.pk/taxpayers-audit/131228. Moreover, Mrs. Farida Rashid, President, Islamabad Women Chamber of Commerce & Industry and Mian Abdul Ghaffar, President, All Pakistan Tax Advisors Association pressed the button to launch the Tax Directory 2018 for Parliamentarians and Mr. Saboor Malik, President, Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce & Industry and Mr. Khalillulah Shaikh, President, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan (ICAP), pressed the button to launch the Tax Directory 2018 for information of general public which can be accessed at https://www.fbr.gov.pk/tax-directory-for-tax-year-2018/152468. On this occasion, Mirza Abdul Rehman, Chief Coordinator, Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FPCCI) expressed his pleasure that their demands are fulfilled for launching of Risk based Audit Management System (RAMS) and payment of long outstanding refunds of business community.