Rawalpindi:President of the Restaurants, Caterers, Sweets and Bakers Association Muhammad Farooq Chaudhry on Wednesday urged the federal and Punjab governments to provide special relief to the business community, particularly the restaurant sector, in the upcoming budget.
He said traders and business owners across the country, especially in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, were facing multiple economic challenges, adding that without immediate measures it would be difficult to revive business activity, economic growth and employment.
In a statement, he emphasized that the government should prioritize consultations with the business community during pre-budget meetings to ensure effective policymaking. Highlighting key issues, Farooq highlighted that inflation, increased electricity, gas and water tariffs, heavy taxation, higher operational costs and declining purchasing power had severely affected commercial activities.
He further pointed out that traders in Rawalpindi and Islamabad were also facing administrative challenges, while restrictions on restaurant operating hours until 10:00 pm and intermittent business closures had further impacted the sector, reducing business volumes and affecting thousands of jobs.
