Responding to a question during Question Hour in National Assembly, he said that about Rs 50 billion have so far been collected from the telecom companies under USF and Rs 21 billion have been spent for development of telecom infrastructure and for promotion of services in different under-served areas of the country.
PSEB Facilitates Local Companies to Promote IT Services by Marketing & Subsidization
He said that during 2018-19 about Rs 6.4 billion were collected under USF and Rs 6.94 billion had been spent to provide telecom services to remote areas during the same period. He said that the government through Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB) is facilitating local companies in promotion of IT services by way of marketing and subsidization, etc. The PSEB has arranged four international and four domestic exhibitions. He said that state functionaries in consulates and embassies have been interacted to accord special focus on promotion of IT exports. The government has exempted Information Technology and IT-enabled services from income tax on export till June 2025 to bolster their exports. He said that the IT is emerging as a vital organ of the country’s national economy and the government is paying great deal of heed to promote this sector. He said two IT parks are being established in Pakistan with the cooperation of Korean government. He said that work on the first IT park in Islamabad has already been started while the second IT park would be established in Karachi to further strengthen this sector. Also Read: Free IT Trainings and Certifications for Unemployed Youth of Pakistan – PSEB
