LCCI President Welcomes PM-Led Reform Drive, Says EODB Vital for Export Growth

By Muhammad Shahzad
Lahore, Pakistan
LAHORE: The Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has welcomed the reform proposals initiated under the direction of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to improve the Ease of Doing Business (EODB) and rationalise energy and trade tariffs, describing them as critical for accelerating export-led growth and reducing Pakistan’s dependence on external financial assistance.
LCCI President Faheem Ur Rehman Saigol said that improving EODB has been a long-standing demand of the Chamber, noting that the high cost of doing business (CODB), policy unpredictability and structural inefficiencies continue to hinder investment, industrial expansion and export competitiveness.
In a joint statement, LCCI President Faheem Ur Rehman Saigol, Senior Vice President Tanveer Ahmed Sheikh and Vice President Khurram Lodhi said that the Prime Minister’s decision to seek stakeholder input through a high-level committee reflects the government’s seriousness in addressing core economic challenges.
They said exporters across sectors are grappling with cross-cutting issues, including high and volatile electricity and gas tariffs, fragmented taxation, advance income tax deductions, delayed refunds and working capital constraints. These challenges, they added, disproportionately affect small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and limit value addition.
Faheem Ur Rehman Saigol noted that frequent changes in tax policies, energy pricing and tariff structures undermine business planning and erode investor and buyer confidence, particularly during annual export order booking cycles. He stressed that policy predictability, transparency and a rule-based regulatory environment are indispensable for improving EODB and attracting long-term domestic and foreign investment.
He further said that the rationalisation of energy tariffs in line with regional benchmarks is essential for restoring export competitiveness, as high and volatile power and gas costs continue to inflate production expenses across manufacturing, agro-processing and services. Addressing these issues would help Pakistani exporters retain orders and compete more effectively in international markets.
The LCCI President also highlighted that Pakistan’s cost of doing business remains structurally high due to distorted input tariffs, overlapping regulations, excessive audits and weak inter-agency coordination. He emphasised the need to strengthen domestic quality, testing and compliance infrastructure to reduce reliance on overseas laboratories, cut costs, shorten lead times and enable movement into higher-value export segments.
Faheem Ur Rehman Saigol said that logistics and trade facilitation bottlenecks—such as high inland freight costs, port congestion and slow customs clearance—must be addressed on a priority basis to improve export efficiency. He also stressed the importance of expanding access to affordable export finance, credit guarantees and insurance, particularly for SMEs, to support upgrading, compliance and scaling.
He concluded that the Lahore Chamber is fully prepared to support the Prime Minister and the government through constructive engagement, policy input and private-sector feedback to improve EODB, reduce CODB and accelerate Pakistan’s transition towards a sustainable, export-led growth model.