Lahore: President of the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Mian Abuzar Shad, called on the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to withdraw from regulatory orders recently issued (SRO) which have raised serious concerns within the cement distribution sector.
Referring to the SRO 578 (I) / 2025, published on April 8, Shad noted that he obliges to carry out all the commercial transactions to be carried out via bank channels, as well as the provision of detailed information on the buyer. He argued that this policy was not practical in the economic environment in force, where about 40% of cement sales are made for customers without appointments. In such cases, check payments are often unreliable due to a high rate of plump checks and a limited legal appeal.
He also underlined the reservations of the industry concerning SR 709 (I) / 2025, published on April 22, which requires an integration of the system with the digital FBR platform.
Shad urged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to suspend the implementation of the two SROs for cement distributors, wholesalers and retailers. Instead, he recommended that cement manufacturers will be authorized to sell only to active and tax buyers, which would help guarantee documentation without disturbing market dynamics.
