LAHORE, Sept 29: Federal Information Minister Nisar Memon said on Sunday that the general sales tax could not be withdrawn because “it is necessary to run the country.”

He said even no future government could withdraw the GST.

He was speaking at the annual general meeting of the All Pakistan Textile Processing Mills Association at a local hotel. The minister said the government would remove all problems in the system of GST collection.

All reforms by the present government had full legal and constitutional cover and the next governments would have to prove that they were wrong before undoing them.

The minister said the president would remain in office for five years.

He said the country’s foreign exchange reserves increased to over $7 billion because of the restructuring, reforms and other good policies of the government which was its real achievement.

The minister said the government should also be given the credit of increasing exports by several billion dollars after the Sept 11 attack on America.

“The exports have increased due to the creation of enabling environment, financial discipline, the policy of seeking access to foreign markets and good governance,” he said.

Mr Memon said no-one could blame the government for benefiting certain industry through SROs.— Staff Reporter