Ministry Proposes 20% Duty on LED Lights to Protect Local Industry

Get ready for a game-changer! The Ministry of Industries and Production is pushing to slap a 20% regulatory duty on light-emitting diode (LED) lighting gear to throw a lifeline to the booming local industry.

This hot topic lit up a high-stakes meeting led by Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Industries and Production, Haroon Akhtar Khan.

The crew hashed out how this duty is a shield for homegrown manufacturers, who are struggling to keep up with local demand despite their export-ready swagger. Word on the street? The local LED scene has been outshining imported rivals in quality and price lately—take that, foreign competition!

The meeting didn’t stop there—it dove into budget proposals for the next fiscal year, zeroing in on industrial hot buttons. Secretary Saif Anjum, alongside big shots from the Engineering Development Board (EDB) and the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA), were in the mix.

They tackled everything from boosting local manufacturing to juggling raw material imports and exports, plus tweaking the web of Customs Duties (CD), Regulatory Duties (RD), and Additional Customs Duties (ACD).

Haroon Akhtar Khan didn’t mince words—he’s all in for tax reforms to juice up the industrial sector, even floating a super tax to sync Pakistan’s corporate tax game with the regional big leagues.

He’s also dead-set on rolling out a business-friendly vibe to lure investors and prop up small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The SAPM lit a fire under everyone, ordering departments to hunt down and smash any roadblocks stunting industrial growth, all to lock in sustainable economic wins for Pakistan. It’s go time!