The Hon. Rauff Hakeem, Attorney-at-Law

¶ 01 Hon. Speaker, as pro tem Chairman of the Committee on Public Finance, I present the Report of the Committee on Public Finance on the: (i) Gambling Regulatory Authority Bill; (ii) Resolution under Section 10 of the Customs Ordinance (Chapter 235) relating to Import Duties (Gazette Extraordinary No. 2434/02 of 28 April, 2025); (iii) Order under Section 3 of the Excise (Special Provisions) Act, No. 13 of 1989, as amended, relating to Excise Duty (Gazette Extraordinary No. 2434/04 of 28 April, 2025); and (iv) Regulation under Section 19 read with Section 51 of the Finance Act, No. 35 of 2018 relating to Luxury Tax on Motor Vehicles (Gazette Extraordinary No. 2434/05 of 28 April, 2025), which were referred to the Committee.

¶ 02 Ordered to lie upon the Table.

¶ 03 Sir, may I briefly read out one or two contentious portions of the Report on the Gambling Regulatory Authority Bill.

¶ 04 “5. During the discussion held on 12 August 2025 regarding the GRA Bill, the Committee observed that there is a significant need to design practical mechanisms to allow the legal movement of foreign exchange for the purpose of gambling and repatriation of winnings in foreign exchange while ensuring compliance with the existing exchange control laws. The Committee emphasized that these issues require careful consideration and potential regulatory or legal reforms to facilitate lawful and efficient handling of gambling proceeds.”

¶ 05 Further: “Some Committee members noted that, in its present form, the GRA Bill is not strong enough to meet expectations and requires significant revision, international benchmarking, and a more comprehensive regulatory framework to ensure transparency, accountability, and robust enforcement.”

¶ 06 Thank you.