The government of Pakistan has abolished the 0.25% Export Development Surcharge (EDS) on all exports, a decision announced by the State Bank of Pakistan on Tuesday. The move is expected to help exporters lower their costs and enhance competitiveness in international markets.
“The federal government has exempted all exported goods from the Export Development Surcharge levied under subsection (1) of section 11 of the Finance Act 1991, with immediate effect,” the SBP notification said, adding that previous circulars on the levy are now withdrawn.
The EDS, previously collected on export proceeds and directed into the Export Development Fund (EDF), was used to support export-promotion initiatives, including training institutes, trade missions, research, marketing, and infrastructure development.
The decision follows a meeting presided over by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, which included private-sector experts and government officials. A dedicated Working Group on EDS, chaired by Musadaq Zulqarnain and comprising members such as Secretary Commerce Bilal Azhar Kiyani, EDF Executive Director Mosharraf Zaidi, Shahzad Saleem, Misbah Naqvi, Khurram Mukhtar, Arif Saeed, Ahmad Umair, and Sualeh Faruqi, had reassessed the fund and recommended reforms.
