Islamabad: In a bid to facilitate ease of doing business within the industrial and trade sectors, the government has launched a first-of-its-kind facilitation programme called ‘Authorised Economic Operator (AEO)’ — a news source reported.
The AEO programme – based on best international practises and the security standards of the World Customs Organisation – will cut down the cost of doing business in the country.
As per the programme, the government will certify credible business entities and will verify that they are secure and possess a clean history of compliance with national laws. In turn, all government departments will provide maximum facilitation to these certified businesses in a bid to help them focus on growth.
Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Chairman Shabbar Zaidi called a meeting of all major government departments and border agencies in order to highlight the aims of the AEO programme. He informed the officials in attendance that AEO would eliminate red tapism for businesses in the country.
Zaidi explained that the government would initially launch the AEO programme for the export sector. He stated that this measure would boost national exports and also create jobs. He added that the programme would then be extended to other sectors in due time, so that they could utilize the help extended to businesses through this initiative as well.
