The Pakistan Business Forum (PBF) has called on the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to immediately issue a Statutory Regulatory Order (SRO) for imposing 18% general sales tax (GST) on imported cotton, as outlined in the Finance Bill 2025. In a statement, the PBF emphasised that despite clear announcement in the federal budget to tax the imported cotton, its implementation was pending due to the
No trading companies were believed to have submitted price offers in the international tender to buy 50,000 tonnes of sugar from Pakistan which closed on Tuesday, European traders said in initial assessments. Traders said the shipment and arrival periods were regarded as having too short notice for realistic offers. The tender from the state-run Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) sought
Pakistan’s trade deficit with nine neighbouring countries expanded by 29.42 per cent in FY25, rising to $12.297 billion compared to $9.502bn in the preceding year. Exports registered notable growth to Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Sri Lanka, largely attributed to recent shifts in the regional political landscape. However, trade relations with these countries have remained strained in recent year
Pakistan’s foreign debt inflows surged to $12.4 billion in FY25, largely due to a last-minute $3.4bn commercial borrowing from foreign banks to meet an International Monetary Fund (IMF) benchmark, according to the Economic Affairs Division (EAD) report released on Tuesday. The EAD data showed that almost 43pc of the total foreign assistance —amounting to $5.25bn — was disbursed in June alone, c
The Senate Standing Committee on Privatisation on Tuesday raised concerns over the government’s plans to privatise two state-owned entities — the Pakistan Mineral Development Corporation (PMDC) and Zarai Taraqiati Bank Ltd (ZTBL) — and questioned the rationale behind their inclusion in the programme. Chairman of the Privatisation Commission, Muhammad Ali, clarified that PMDC is not currently on