Druckschrift 
Charter of the economy : agenda for economic reforms in Pakistan
Entstehung
Einzelbild herunterladen
 

Facilitating Ease of Doing Business Reimbursement of costs of Withholding tax agents in tax collection: This proposal has been described above. Improvement in the System of Sales Tax Refunds to Exporters: This proposal has also been described above. Non levy on Inter-Provincial movement of goods: This infrastructure fee levied by the Government of Sindh should be withdrawn. 5.5. Developing the Digital Economy A revolutionary change in the conduct of business and other transactions lies in facilitating the growth of the digital economy and achieving inclusive digitalization. There are five priorities if Pakistan is to strengthen the transition to a digital economy. The first priority is to develop and increase the availability of affordable high-speed internet. The latest estimates of the spread of information and communications technology(ICT) is by the PSLM Survey of 2019-20 undertaken by the PBS. The estimates of coverage are given in Table 5.3. Table 5.3: Household Ownership of Computer, Mobile Phone and Internet Computer (%) Mobile Phone (%) Punjab 13 94 Sindh 10 91 Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa 12 95 Balochistan 6 92 Pakistan 12 93 Source: PSLM Survey, 2019-20, PBS Internet (%) 34 32 33 21 33 While the majority of households own one or more mobile phones, the ownership of computer is very limited at 12 percent and the access to internet is only 33 percent. A transition will also have to be made from mobile broadband, such as using smart phones, to fixed broadband needed for data-intensive applications. The second priority is expanding the use of digital payments. The World Bank Global Finder data shows that only 10 percent of financial account holders in Pakistan access their accounts using mobile phone or internet. Government agencies can help by using digital payments in their interaction with citizens and businesses, such as payment of taxes and charges for services and transfer of pensions. 47