The Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue, Shaukat Tarin, chaired a meeting with the representatives of ‘Daraz’, one of the prominent digital marketplaces in Pakistan.

Daraz was represented by Mr. Bjarke Mikkelsen, CEO Daraz Group, Mr. Ehsan Saya, MD Daraz Pakistan, Ms. Kiran Faruqi, CFO Daraz Group, and Mr. Ahmad Hassan, CFO Daraz Pakistan.

The Finance Minister welcomed the digital market-place operator and said that the current government is supportive of the idea of promoting the E-Commerce industry as a catalyst to economic growth and source of future foreign direct investments. The Minister said that he sees great potential in promotion of small and medium enterprises in Pakistan if provided support by digital platforms like Daraz. Such collaborative efforts will also create employment opportunities for the youth in the country, he added.

MD Daraz Pakistan briefed the Finance Minister that his online platform offers 20 million different products and is visited by 15 million people every month. He said that various concessions offered to the IT industry by the government have proven helpful in promoting the e-commerce industry in Pakistan. CEO Daraz, Mr. Bjarke Mikkelsen, requested to have more representation from the E-Commerce industry in policy making and asked to simplify the tax administration processes and procedures for e-commerce platforms so that compliance becomes easier.

The Finance Minister affirmed his support for the growth of the e-commerce industry in Pakistan and directed Daraz to propose initiatives where the Government could work in collaboration with the e-commerce industry.

The Daraz team thanked the Finance Minister for his support and committed to present their proposals soon on the inclusion of the SME sector through the e-commerce platforms.

Source: Pro Pakistani