ISLAMABAD: Pakistani rice traders on Friday warned the government of a possible reduction in their exports to $2 billion, against the ambitious $5 billion target, blaming the new tax regime expected to make them pay a larger share of their earnings than in the past.
The country’s rice exports to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, China, Malaysia and other countries reached $3.9 billion in the last fiscal year, a noticeable improvement compared to the previous year’s $2.1 billion, reflecting an upward trajectory.
For the current fiscal year, Pakistani rice traders have been eyeing $5 billion. However, they say this might not happen due to the government’s decision to replace the Final Tax Regime with the Hybrid Tax Regime, which would double the tax rates and force exporters to file returns each month.
The Final Tax Regime refers to a system where specific sources of income, such as dividends, have final tax deductions made at the source, meaning no further tax is payable. In contrast, the Hybrid Tax Regime applies to businesses or individuals with multiple income streams, combining final taxed income with additional taxable income, requiring more meticulous filing of returns and higher overall tax rates.
“This new tax regime will leave us uncompetitive in the international market,” Chela Ram Kewlani, Chairman Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan, told Arab News. “This will automatically result in a drop in our rice exports to $2 billion as we have already been doing business at record high markup rates and electricity costs.”
He said the new tax regime would open the door for the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), the country’s tax collection body, to audit their business, resulting in “corruption and harassment” of rice exporters.
“There is a clear contradiction in the government’s statements and actions,” he said. “They want to boost the exports, but at the same time they want to burden the sector with heavy taxes.”
Kewlani said, besides the new tax regime, the government would levy 10 percent super tax if the exports of a trader went beyond Rs4 billion ($14.4 million).
He informed the exporters held a meeting with Federal Minister for Finance Muhammad Aurangzeb last week to discuss the issue, though it did not yield their desired results.
“You are aware of the economic situation, so the government has no option but to levy additional taxes on the rice exports,” he said while quoting the finance minister.
Muhammad Jawed Hanif, Chairman of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Commerce, said he was aware of the challenges posed by additional taxes, adding the committee would discuss the matter in its next meeting.
“We have a meeting on July 24 wherein we will discuss these rice export issues,” he told Arab News.
“All issues related to exports will be on my priority list as the country badly needs foreign exchange through increased exports of our products,” he added.
Pakistani rice traders warn government of drop in exports due to additional taxes
https://arab.news/6bzf2
Pakistani rice traders warn government of drop in exports due to additional taxes
- Local traders of the commodity set $5 billion of export target before government introduced new tax regime
- National Assembly Standing Committee on Commerce will take up the issue in its forthcoming meeting next week
Pakistan PM orders accelerated privatization of power sector to tackle losses
- Tenders to be issued for privatization of three major electricity distribution firms, PMO says
- Sharif says Pakistan to develop battery energy storage through public-private partnerships
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s prime minister on Monday directed the government to speed up privatization of state-owned power companies and improve electricity infrastructure nationwide, as authorities try to address deep-rooted losses and inefficiencies in the energy sector that have weighed on the economy and public finances.
Pakistan’s electricity system has long struggled with financial distress caused by a combination of factors including theft of power, inefficient collection of bills, high costs of generating electricity and a large burden of unpaid obligations known as “circular debt.” In the first quarter of the current financial year, government-owned distribution companies recorded losses of about Rs171 billion ($611 million) due to poor bill recovery and operational inefficiencies, official documents show. Circular debt in the broader power sector stood at around Rs1.66 trillion ($5.9 billion) in mid-2025, a sharp decline from past peaks but still a major fiscal drain.
Efforts to contain these losses have been a focus of Pakistan’s economic reform program with the International Monetary Fund, which has urged structural changes in the energy sector as part of financing conditions. Previous government initiatives have included signing a $4.5 billion financing facility with local banks to ease power sector debt and reducing retail electricity tariffs to support economic recovery.
“Electricity sector privatization and market-based competition is the sustainable solution to the country’s energy problems,” Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said at a meeting reviewing the roadmap for power sector reforms, according to a statement from the prime minister’s office.
The meeting reviewed progress on privatization and infrastructure projects. Officials said tenders for modernizing one of Pakistan’s oldest operational hubs, Rohri Railway Station, will be issued soon and that the Ghazi Barotha to Faisalabad transmission line, designed to improve long-distance transmission of electricity, is in the initial approval stages. While not all power-sector decisions were detailed publicly, the government emphasized expanding private sector participation and completing priority projects to strengthen the electricity grid.
In another key development, the prime minister endorsed plans to begin work on a battery energy storage system with participation from private investors to help manage fluctuations in supply and demand, particularly as renewable energy sources such as solar and wind take a growing role in generation. Officials said the concept clearance for the storage system has been approved and feasibility studies are underway.
Government briefing documents also outlined steps toward shifting some electricity plants from imported coal to locally mined Thar coal, where a railway line expansion is underway to support transport of fuel, potentially lowering costs and import dependence in the long term.
State authorities also pledged to address safety by converting unmanned railway crossings to staffed ones and to strengthen food safety inspections at stations, underscoring broader infrastructure and service improvements connected to energy and transport priorities.
