ADB Vice-President Shixin Chen said: ADB has a 53-year history of strong partnership with Pakistan and we are pleased to be in a position to provide this important support for the country’s economic reform program He further said that: “The Trade and Competitiveness Program focuses on addressing structural issues obstructing Pakistan’s export competitiveness through reforms in the areas of tax and tariff rationalization, as well as institutional strengthening. Moving forward, ADB is committed to providing wide-ranging support to strengthen Pakistan’s economy and reduce the risk of external economic shocks.” Supported by the International Monetary Fund, ADB, and other development partners, the government has now committed to a range of structural reforms to the country’s trade environment to improve its export performance, reduce the current account deficit, and drive economic growth. The Trade and Competitiveness Program will introduce important tariff and tax-related policy reforms to support Pakistan’s export industries and increase their competitiveness internationally and also to strengthen key trade facilitating institutions such as accreditation bodies, the EXIM Bank of Pakistan, and the National Single Window. DB Director General for Central and West Asia Werner Liepac said: “Trade is an important pillar in Pakistan’s overarching development objective to foster economic stability and sustainable high growth,”. “The Trade and Competitiveness Program will help define and implement key reforms to help tackle these development challenges and bring livelihood opportunities to the people of Pakistan.” Also Read: Economic Benefits of Reforming Mobile Taxation in Pakistan
