ISLAMABAD: The present government is supportive of the idea of promoting the e-commerce industry as a catalyst to economic growth and the source of future foreign direct investments, a senior government official said on Thursday.

During a meeting with the representatives of Daraz, one of the prominent digital market places in Pakistan, Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Shaukat Tarin said that he sees great potential for the promotion of Small and Medium Enterprises in the country if provided support by the digital platforms such as Daraz.

Such collaborative efforts will also create employment opportunities for the youth in the country, he added.

Daraz Pakistan managing director Ehsan Saya said that his online platform offers 20 million different products and is visited by 15 million people every month.

Various concessions offered to the IT industry by the government have proved helpful in promoting the e-commerce industry in Pakistan, he added.

Daraz chief executive officer 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.

Finance Minister Train assured 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.

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