MNA Slams FBR for Driving MNCs Out of Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: PML-N MNA Shaista Pervaiz Malik torched the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) in the National Assembly Standing Committee on Commerce on Wednesday, accusing it of poisoning the business climate with relentless harassment — driving multinationals and local firms to flee Pakistan. Chaired by Jawed Hanif Khan, the committee dissected the MNC exodus. Malik blasted: “FBR has turned hostile — foreign giants are shutting down, locals forced out, all because profit repatriation is a nightmare.” Board of Investment (BoI) defended open-door policy — no pre-approval needed except security-sensitive sectors like arms, explosives, media. BoI downplayed the crisis as global trends — inflation, high rates, supply-chain shifts, asset-light pivots — but admitted Pakistan’s own demons: macro volatility, regulatory maze, repatriation delays, sky-high energy/tax costs scare investors away.