LAHORE: The Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry (LCCI) has urged the government to wave off consumers’ electricity and gas bills for at least three months in wake of prevalent economic halt caused by coronavirus outbreak.
In a statement issued on Monday, LCCI President Irfan Iqbal Sheikh also asked the property owners to wave off rents for two months.
The LCCI president noted that small businesses, employees and daily wagers were facing challenges in terms of livelihoods, as many of them were either not getting any work or were staying home on government’s orders.
“People are restricted to their homes while businesses have closed; therefore, the government should facilitate the masses by not charging utility bills for three months.”
He suggested the government to use marriage halls as quarantine centres amid shortage of healthcare facilities. In return, he added, the government should give three-year tax holiday to the owners of marriage halls.
He hoped that deadline for the renewal of LCCI membership would also be extended in wake of corona crisis.
‘UNIFORM TARIFF’
On the other hand, former LCCI vice president and Bund Road Industrial Association Chairman Syed Mahmood Ghaznavi has urged the government to implement “a uniform electricity tariff for all industries”.
Presiding over a meeting of the association at LCCI, Ghaznavi said the government has given a tariff of 0.75/cent to the textile sector, “and the same should be given to all industries so as to bring down their input costs”.
He said that Pakistan would not be able to increase its exports until the government succeeds in reducing the electricity tariff for industries. “It is almost impossible to increase exports unless factories get electricity at affordable rates.”
Ghaznavi said that the main reason behind Pakistan not achieving its export potential was not only confined to rupee devaluation, as high electricity tariff also hits the industries hard.
“Cheap electricity is necessary to remain competitive in the region. Currently, our products are inferior to that of India and Bangladesh,” he added.
what proceeding of waving of utility bills