LAHORE     -    Pak Afghan Facilitation Committee (PAFC) Tuesday demanded the government to waive off all duties and taxes, including the sales tax on the import of raw merchandise from Afghanistan in order to boost the exports of the country. In a joint letter written to Federal Finance Secretary and Chairman Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) in context of budget proposals, PAFC Chairman Riaz Ahmed and its members Abdul Latif Malik and Usman Ashraf urged the government to provide relief to commercial importers on the same line of Finance Bill 2021-2022 which promised relief to registered importers in wake of sales tax. They assured the government that if their above mentioned demands would be fulfilled then the volume of the exports of the country would increase manifold besides generating new jobs and business opportunities. They said the carpet manufacturing industry is one of the largest cottage industries of Pakistan that bring in hefty amounts of foreign exchange as well as it is a source of employment, that also provide employment to female labour that can work at their homes hence helping the people of rural areas. However, they lamented that carpet industry is facing some problems that are resulting as hurdles to the industry’s progress lately. They said in previous finance bill, the custom duty on the import of semi finished raw carpets from Afghanistan was waived off for sales tax registered importers. The raw merchandise that is imported from Afghanistan is finished and washed in Pakistan by skilled Pakistani labour and 100% exported globally. Therefore, it is demanded that the government should waive the duties without any discrimination as the raw material coming from Afghanistan for the handmade carpet industry is exported after the final financial preparation.