Lahore, March 22, 2023 (PPI-OT): Women entrepreneurs of Pakistan have unanimously called for a separate entrepreneurship policy for
women in the country. The demand came up at an online consultative session arranged by the Small and
Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA) nationwide exclusively with women entrepreneurs of Pakistan.
The session was widely attended by the women entrepreneurs from Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta, Hazara, D.G. Khan, Layyah, Sahiwal, Faisalabad, D. I. Khan, Multan, Chitral, Sargodha and Bahawalpur including Women Business leaders; Ms. Azra Jamshed, President Women Chamber Peshawar, Ms. Mansoora Shams, President Women Chamber Korangi, Karachi, Ms. Sharmin, President Women Chamber Quetta, Ms. Masooma sibtain of Women Chamber Hazara, Ms. Farah Bashir
of Chitral Chamber, Ms. Hafsa Moeen of Women Chamber, Islamabad and Dr. Shehla javed Akram, founder of the Women Chamber, Lahore. Dr. Amna Khalifa, a renowned international fiscal specialist addressed the session as keynote speaker.
On behalf of SMEDA Chief Mr. Farhan Aziz Khawaja, Ms. Nadia Jehangir Seth, General Manager Policy
Planning, Ms. Tania Buttar, Deputy General Manager and Ms. Maryam Anas, Manager hosted the session.
The women Entrepreneurs complained that women had no special incentives in taxes to let their
business grow. Women’s businesses have to bear a burden of over 45% taxes in total including the huge
GST, Income Tax and withholding tax at par with men’s enterprises.
On the other hands, regarding
access to finance, women entrepreneurs are, rather discouraged. Similarly, with regard to marketing at national and international level very little support is available for women.
The women Entrepreneurs unanimously demanded that for women there should be a different tax slab
in FBR.
Women’s Business Start-ups should be provided with a Tax Holiday up to 5 years coupled with a tax credit mechanism to ensure sustainability of the businesses. The women enterprises graduating from small to medium level should be offered concessional plots in the industrial zones to set up
factories in their business lines.
To fill in the gap in export marketing, arts and crafts made by women should be given an access to international markets along with necessary training and visits to the international trade fairs held abroad.
The women had a common consensus that the goal of women empowerment in Pakistan cannot be
achieved without a separate package of incentives and facilities in taxes, regulations and credits. They all demanded an exclusive entrepreneurship strategy and urged SMEDA to take a strong move towards this
direction. However, they appreciated SMEDA to arrange a country-wide process of consultation with women entrepreneurs.
GM SMEDA Ms. Nadia Jahangir Seth told that SMEDA Chief Mr. Farman Aziz Khawaja had already initiated a process to lay down a special strategy for promotion of women entrepreneurship. She assured that the suggestions came up in the consultation session would be submitted to the concerned ministries for inclusion in the coming fiscal budget.
For more information, contact:
DGM (Admin. and PR)
Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA)
4th Floor, Building No.3, Aiwan-e-Iqbal Complex,
Egerton Road, Lahore, Pakistan
Tel: +92-42-111-111-456
Fax: +92-42-36304926-7
Email: aligohar@smeda.org.pk, helpdesk@smeda.org.pk
Website: www.smeda.org.pk