December 17, 2021 – Page 2 – Business Observer

December 17, 2021

England’s Sarah Taylor Excited at Sharing the Dressing Room With Rizwan

Former England Women’s wicket-keeper batter, Sarah Taylor, is excited to work with Pakistan’s wicket-keeper batter, Mohammad Rizwan after he signed for Sussex for the majority of the upcoming season. Rizwan will play for Sussex in the English County Championship and the T20 Blast next year.

Sarah Taylor, who is highly regarded as one of the finest wicket-keeper batters in women’s cricket history, is excited at the prospect of learning from Rizwan. Taylor took to Twitter to appreciate the signing by Sussex and shared her excitement at working with Rizwan.

Rizwan has been in a rich vein of form and has broken multiple batting records over the past year. He finished the year by becoming the first batter in cricket history to score more than 2,000 runs in a calendar year in T20 cricket and finished as the leading run-scorer in T20Is as well.

Sussex will be hoping that he replicates his fine form in both formats for them in the next year.

Sarah Taylor, now retired from international cricket, plays domestic cricket for Sussex and has also tried her hand in coaching. She became the first women coach for a men’s county team as she became the wicket-keeping coach for Sussex earlier in the year. She was then appointed as an assistant coach for Abu Dhabi in the recently concluded Abu Dhabi T10 League.

Source: Pro Pakistani

December 17, 2021

Two Pakistani Boxers Clinch Prestigious International Championship Titles

Pakistan’s rising boxing stars, Asif Hazara and Usman Wazeer have won international titles in two different championships.

Asif Hazara defeated Uganda’s fighter, Ben Nsubuga, to earn the Asian Boxing Federation (ABF) title in Dubai on 15 December.

Taking to Twitter, Asif thanked his fans for their unwavering support and constant prayers. He also shared a video showing glimpses of his fight.

On the other hand, Usman Wazeer from Astore, Gilgit-Baltistan, became the World Boxing Council Middle East Champion by beating Tanzanian boxer, Rosta, on 16 December.

Usman, often dubbed as ‘The Asian Boy,’ is one of Pakistan’s best boxers. He is the first Pakistani to win the Asian Boxing Federation title. He is an undefeated welterweight fighter to date.

Ecstatic with his win, Usman went on to dedicate his title to his “beautiful” country Pakistan on Twitter.

Congratulatory messages poured in as soon as the word went out.

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Fawad Chaudhry, was among the first ones to felicitate the two young boxers for winnings international titles.

In a video message, Fawad said Usman Wazir and Asif Hazara were the pride of Pakistan. He said Usman Wazir’s next target should be an Olympic medal.

Deputy Speaker National Assembly, Qasim Suri, sent his heartfelt felicitations and hoped that Pakistan will achieve more in the world of boxing in the future through new talent.

In its congratulatory messages, the official handle of the National Information Technology Board (NITB) said that the two boxers had made the nation proud.

Singer-cum-actor, Ali Zafar, also congratulated Asif and Usman for the title wins.

“One can imagine the challenges you and many of our athletes face but triumphing despite them is heroic,” he added.

Source: Pro Pakistani

December 17, 2021

Mohammad Rizwan Equals Sachin Tendulkar’s 23 Year Old Record

2021 has been an unforgettable year for Pakistan wicketkeeper batter, Mohammad Rizwan, as he smashed record after record with his magnificent batting displays throughout the year.

After bagging the player of the series award against West Indies last night, Rizwan equaled the record for most player of the series awards won in a calendar year that was set by one of the greatest batters of all time, Sachin Tendulkar, in 1998.

According to details, Rizwan has won 5 player of the series awards in 2021. He won four of these awards in the T20I cricket while one in the Test cricket. He won three of these awards at home and two away from home.

In the recently concluded three-match T20I home series against West Indies, Rizwan smashed 203 runs at an average of 67. In the three-match T20I series in the Bangladesh tour, he scored 90 runs at an average of 30 to bad the player of the series award.

During Pakistan’s tour to Zimbabwe, Rizwan scored 186 runs at an average of 62 in the three-match T20I series to clinch the award. During South Africa’s tour to Pakistan, he scored 197 runs at an average of 65 in the three-match T20I series and 166 runs at an average of 55 in three innings during the two-match Test series. He was adjudged the player of the series in both formats.

Here are some of the other records set by Mohammad Rizwan during 2021.

• Most sixes in T20Is (42)

• Most fours in T20Is (119)

• Most runs in T20Is (1,326 runs)

• Most runs in T20s (2,036 runs)

• Most century stands along with Babar Azam in T20Is (6)

• Second most half-centuries in T20Is (19)

Source: Pro Pakistani

December 17, 2021

FTO Proposes Disciplinary Proceedings Against 17 FBR Officers Involved in Malpractices

The Federal Tax Ombudsman has proposed disciplinary proceedings against 17 officers of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) involved in malpractices.

According to a handout, FTO Dr Asif Mahmood Jah chaired a meeting of the Advisory Committee to discuss measures to improve taxpayers’ facilitation through early redressal of issues raised by traders, the public at large, international investors and corporations.

While speaking in the meeting, the FTO explained the mandate and functions of the Advisory Committee. He informed that in a number of complaints, the issues raised by the complainants were resolved on telephonic discussion or by forwarding SMS to the relevant tax functionaries under the FBR, by exercising the powers under Section 33 of the FTO Ordinance, 2000.

Dr Jah informed that the recommendations have been issued to the FBR for resolution of refund-related issues raised by the members of Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce & Industry.

He said that interns will be appointed for a door-to-door campaign for taxpayers’ awareness of the FTO office and facilitation at their doorstep. Dr Jah added that since he joined as FTO, the number of complaints registered on average has gradually increased as compared to previous months which shows that confidence of the taxpayers has increased in the FTO office.

He said that the suggestions and recommendations to improve the tax system and resolution of taxpayers’ grievances, provided by the members of the committee, will be warmly welcomed. He added that the FTO Office is the only institution, which provides cost-free and transparent justice within days.

Dr Jah said that the FTO office will try to conduct meetings of the Advisory Committee on a quarterly basis.

The advisory committee members lauded the performance of FTO and stressed the need to share FTO’s publications in Urdu language to promote tax awareness.

The participants, that included heads of various trade bodies, discussed a number of issues and appreciated the FTO for providing a listening ear to the complainants.

Source: Pro Pakistani

December 17, 2021

ECC Approves Ehsaas Targeted Commodity Subsidy Program Worth Rs. 106 Billion

The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet on Friday approved the Rs. 106.1 billion Ehsaas Targeted Commodity Subsidy Program (ETCSP).

The ECC meeting presided over by Minister for Economic Affairs Omar Ayub Khan discussed the summary titled “Launch of the Ehsaas Targeted Commodity Subsidy Program (ETCSP)” presented by the Poverty Alleviation & Social Safety (PASS) Division and approved it after due deliberations.

The total amount of this program is Rs. 106.102 billion for the period of 1st January to 30th June 2022, which includes a subsidy for beneficiaries, incentives for kiryana stores, SMS charges for telecom operators, mobilization charges, National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) costs, and other operational expenditures.

It was highlighted that in pursuance of the cabinet decisions, extensive efforts were undertaken including field visits, market surveys, and meetings with local shop owners/Tajir associations in dozens of cities across the country.

In addition, wide-ranging consultations were held with relevant provincial and federal stakeholders. Resultantly, the program design document has been amended to ensure compliance with the cabinet decisions and address the concerns of stakeholders. Further, the PASS Division and National Bank of Pakistan have also started mobilization efforts for beneficiaries and merchants’ registration.

In order to implement this program, PASS Division will enter into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with NBP for this purpose and will reimburse all relevant costs incurred by NBP on a monthly basis subject to an independent audit and authorization by the program steering committee.

PASS Division will hire one of the top accounting firms as an external auditor to review all transactions (subsidy and vendor payments) processed on monthly basis; The three items covered under the program are essential commodities with inelastic demand, therefore, adoption of local prices will be allowed for the disbursement of the fixed per unit subsidy.

According to the Kiryana Incentive Scheme, target kiryana stores are located in communities with an average monthly income of less than Rs. 30,000 per family. Hence, 8 percent of subsidy value as an incentive for kiryana stores (Rs. 12 per transaction, assuming an average transaction value of Rs. 500) will be allowed.

Source: Pro Pakistani

December 17, 2021

Finance Adviser Assures to Resolve All Issues of Car Dealers

The Advisor to the Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue, Shaukat Tarin, met with the Chairman of the All Pakistan Car Dealers and Importers Association (APDA), Mian Shoaib Ahmed, at the Finance Division.

Chairman Ahmed apprised the Advisor that car dealers and importers in Pakistan are facing various problems, especially related to the imports of cars, and sought the support of the government for the addressing of these issues.

Advisor Tarin commended car dealers’ contribution to Pakistan’s economic progress of the country and said that the government is very supportive of adopting all the measures that can boost economic activity, generate employment, and facilitate the expansion of business activities in the country.

He took a keen interest in the APDA’s issues and assured the delegation of the provision of maximum support, and the resolution of their concerns. Besides this, Advisor Tarin urged the delegation to contribute the maximum for Pakistan’s economic stability and growth.

Towards the end of the meeting, the Chairman of the APDA thanked Advisor Tarin for providing support and addressing the APDA’s grievances.

The federal Minister for Industries and Production, Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar; the Adviser to the Prime Minister on Commerce and Investment, Abdul Razak Dawood; the Secretary of Commerce; a member of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR); and senior officers attended the meeting.

Source: Pro Pakistani