ISLAMABAD: Shaukat Tarin, Adviser to Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue, has directed the authorities to take measures to reduce the import of luxury items.
He was presiding over a meeting to review the balance of trade at Finance Division on Thursday.
Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Syed Fakhar Imam, Federal Minister for Industries and Production Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar, Federal Minister for Energy Hammad Azhar, Adviser to the PM on Commerce & Investment Abdul Razak Dawood, Federal Secretaries, Governor State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), Chairman Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and other senior officers participated in the meeting.
The meeting reviewed and discussed the import bill for the last five months- July to Nov 2021.
It was informed that the pressure on import bill was mainly due to global high commodity prices especially energy, steel, and industrial raw materials.
The forum also noted that high import of vaccine contributed significantly to the rise in import bill.
Moreover, it was informed that there will be less import of food items, furnace oil and vaccine in the coming months that will significantly reduce the pressure on trade bill in the second half of the current fiscal year.
At the conclusion, the Adviser to the PM on Finance and Revenue advised the concerned authorities to take effective policy measures to reduce unnecessary imports of luxury items.
