‘SMEs should be treated at par with exporters’
LAHORE: Pakistan cannot afford to lose its domestic market to foreign goods through under invoicing malpractices, and small and medium industries catering to local consumers should be provided the same facilitation as exporters, said participants at a seminar. Further, local manufacturers would not mind losing market to efficient and quality imported goods, however losing sales because the importer saved government levies illegally is unfair. This consensus was reached at a discussion on domestic commerce organised by Business Forum Punjab (BFP) on Friday. “It is unfortunate that domestic commerce has been neglected for so long,” said chairman BFP Syed Nabeel Hashmi. He said small and medium enterprises (SMEs) operating in domestic market had mostly lost their market share to cheaper and under-invoiced imports. He said large scale industries like cement and sugar were always protected against imports. He said: “Pakistan, for most of its history, has facilitated its exporters through various incentives and facility of zero-rated exports”. The industries based on local market were earlier protected through high import tariff that was rapidly opening of trade under the World Trade Organisation (WTO). “The small and medium industries were exposed to international competition in haste” he said. He said cyclic growth heights were achieved after opening of trade on the strength of exports and not domestic markets. “The SME sector is We recommend you visit the following site for more complete information and related topics. Article source: http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-3-123134-SMEs-should-be-treated-at-par-with-exporters