2012年-世界发展银行全球_Doing_Business_Economy_Profile_2013___Pakistan_116页_1mb

Summary of Pakistan's Business Environment in Doing Business 2013

Core Content

This summary presents the key findings of the Doing Business 2013 report on Pakistan's business environment, focusing on regulations affecting small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The report evaluates 11 areas of business regulation, including starting a business, construction permits, electricity access, property registration, credit availability, investor protection, tax compliance, cross-border trade, contract enforcement, insolvency resolution, and employment regulations. It provides rankings, procedures, time, and cost metrics for each area, comparing Pakistan with other economies, particularly comparator economies and regional averages.

Main Indicators and Rankings

Key Findings

• Ease of Doing Business: Pakistan ranks 107 out of 185 economies, a slight decline from 104 in 2012.
• Starting a Business: Pakistan ranks 98th globally, requiring 10 procedures, taking 21 days, costing 9.9% of income per capita, and having no paid-in minimum capital requirement.
• Construction Permits: Pakistan ranks 105th, requiring 11 procedures, taking 222 days, and costing 216% of income per capita.
• Getting Electricity: Pakistan ranks 171st, requiring 6 procedures, taking 206 days, and costing 1,673.7% of income per capita.
• Registering Property: Pakistan ranks 126th, requiring 6 procedures, taking 50 days, and costing 7.8% of property value.
• Getting Credit: Pakistan ranks 70th, with a legal rights index of 6 and a credit information depth index of 4.
• Protecting Investors: Pakistan ranks 32nd, with an investor protection index of 6.3 and an extent of disclosure index of 6.
• Paying Taxes: Pakistan ranks 162nd, requiring 47 payments, taking 560 hours per year, and costing 9.9% of income per capita.
• Trading Across Borders: Pakistan ranks 85th, requiring 8 documents for export and import, taking 21 days to export and 18 days to import, and costing 660 USD per container for export and 705 USD per container for import.
• Enforcing Contracts: Pakistan ranks 155th, requiring 46 procedures, taking 976 days, and costing 23.8% of claims.
• Resolving Insolvency: Pakistan ranks 78th, taking 2.8 years and costing 4% of the estate, with a recovery rate of 36.2 cents per dollar.

Main Viewpoints

• Regulatory Complexity: Pakistan faces significant regulatory hurdles, especially in areas like construction permits and electricity access.
• Improvement Potential: While some reforms have been introduced, the overall business environment remains challenging, and Pakistan is still far from the best performers in many indicators.
• Technology and Reform: The introduction of an e-service registration system in 2010 helped streamline the process of starting a business, but no major reforms have been recorded since then.
• Comparative Performance: Pakistan's performance is generally worse than regional comparator economies like Bangladesh and India, but better than some other South Asian countries.
• Regional Averages: Pakistan's rankings are often below the regional average, indicating a need for further regulatory improvements.

Key Information

• Data Sources: The data in the report is current as of June 1, 2012, except for paying taxes, which covers January–December 2011.
• Methodology: The report uses a standardized company model and assumes no bribes, no prior contact with officials, and all information is readily available.
• Distance to Frontier: This measure helps assess how far an economy is from the best practices. Pakistan's performance in some areas is close to the frontier, while in others it is far.
• Reforms: Limited reforms have been recorded in recent years, with the most notable being the e-service registration system in 2010.
• Global Best Performers: Countries like New Zealand, Singapore, and Germany consistently rank at the top for ease of doing business.

Conclusion

The Doing Business 2013 report highlights the challenges Pakistan faces in creating a more conducive business environment for SMEs. While some reforms have been introduced, particularly in the area of business registration, the overall regulatory framework still presents significant barriers. The report underscores the importance of continuous improvement in procedures, time, and cost across various business areas to enhance competitiveness and attract investment.