PM Shehbaz directs State Bank, FBR to resolve tax issues faced by SMEs, exporters

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday directed the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to work together to resolve tax-related issues faced by Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) and exporters, as part of efforts to expand access to financing for priority sectors, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said.

According to a statement issued by the PMO, the prime minister, chairing a meeting to review lending facilities for SMEs, housing and agriculture, directed the Finance Ministry to address financing-related problems faced by stakeholders in these sectors and formulate a comprehensive strategy.

He called for a comprehensive risk-coverage mechanism to make it easier for small and medium-sized businesses to obtain loans.

PM Shehbaz said the development of SMEs, housing and agriculture was among the government’s foremost priorities, as these sectors could support economic growth and create employment opportunities for young people.

He praised banks that had performed well in extending loans to the three priority sectors under government initiatives. However, he directed the SBP and finance ministry not to extend concessions to banks that were slow in providing financing to farmers, SMEs and beneficiaries of the Prime Minister’s Apna Ghar Scheme.

“Banks are of key importance for the development of the private sector,” he said, adding that he expected them to extend the same cooperation in financing priority sectors as the government and its institutions provided to banks.

The prime minister said SMEs had significant potential to contribute to economic growth, promote exports and create employment opportunities. He described agriculture as the backbone of the national economy and said the government was working to increase exports through value addition of agricultural produce.

He added that the Apna Ghar Scheme would promote several industries linked to the housing and construction sectors.

The PMO said that during the meeting, officials briefed the prime minister that the SBP was working on three main pillars to increase lending to priority sectors: improving regulations, sharing risks and costs between the government and banks, and expanding digital facilities.

As part of these efforts, the SBP had recently launched the SME Connect digital portal, which allows business owners to apply for loans and track the progress of their applications.

The meeting was informed that, as of October 23, loans worth Rs511 billion had been approved under the Prime Minister’s Apna Ghar Programme, covering 86,899 applications. Loans amounting to Rs91 billion had been disbursed to 15,584 applicants, the PMO said.

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The total volume of housing finance had reached Rs455 billion, benefiting 187,317 borrowers. In the agriculture sector, lending had reached Rs1,329 billion, benefiting approximately 3.5 million people. Meanwhile, SME financing had reached Rs1,148 billion, with 342,458 businesses receiving loans.

The government had set a target of increasing lending to both the agriculture and SME sectors to Rs1,500 billion by the end of fiscal year 2027, officials said.

The meeting was also informed that the government had introduced risk-sharing and credit-guarantee measures for the housing, agriculture and SME sectors. Work was underway to simplify loan procedures, reduce documentation requirements and improve access to financing through digital systems.

Officials also presented performance indicators for commercial banks across the three priority sectors. The prime minister praised banks that had demonstrated good performance.

Federal ministers Ahsan Iqbal, Rana Tanveer Hussain, Dr Musadik Malik, Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada, Muhammad Aurangzeb, Attaullah Tarar and Shaza Fatima Khawaja attended the meeting, along with the Prime Minister’s Adviser Haroon Akhtar, Minister of State Bilal Azhar Kiani, SBP Governor Jameel Ahmad, MNAs Hafizuddin and Chaudhry Iftikhar Nazir, and senior officials. Heads and representatives of leading commercial banks were also present.