Fiscal & Incentives Expert - REMIT Programme

SEZs Phase Out Implementation Plan - Fiscal & Incentives Expert

Background

The Revenue Mobilisation, Investment and Trade (REMIT) Programme, funded by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and implemented by Adam Smith International (ASI), provides technical assistance to the Government of Pakistan to improve the business environment, attract investment, and support sustainable economic growth.

Pakistan’s Special Economic Zones (SEZs) regime has delivered limited results due to structural and governance challenges, including high land and energy costs, infrastructure gaps, and weak investor facilitation. While fiscal incentives have been a central feature of the SEZ framework, their effectiveness in driving industrial relocation, exports, and competitiveness has been limited, while the fiscal cost of open-ended, profit-based incentives has continued to rise.

In response, and in line with commitments under Pakistan’s IMF programme, the Government of Pakistan is undertaking a fundamental reorientation of its SEZ policy framework through the formulation of an SEZ Phase-Out Implementation Plan. This plan aims to progressively transition from profit-based incentives toward calibrated cost- and performance-based incentive mechanisms, while honouring existing contractual obligations and safeguarding investor confidence. As part of this effort, REMIT seeks to engage a Fiscal & Incentives Expert to provide specialised technical expertise on fiscal analysis and incentive rationalisation.

Job Summary

The objective of the assignment is to provide technical expertise to support the Government of Pakistan in the fiscal and incentive-related design and implementation of the SEZ Phase Out Implementation Plan, with a focus on Phase A (Planning and Assessment) of the IMF-mandated reform programme.

The Fiscal & Incentives Expert will support the Board of Investment (BoI) and the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) by leading analytical work on the fiscal costs, effectiveness, and sustainability of existing SEZ incentive regimes and by designing alternative cost and performance-based incentive models aligned with IMF requirements. The role will focus on conducting fiscal diagnostics and cost analysis at zone and enterprise levels and translating analytical findings into implementable policy options.

The Expert will work closely with the other team members by preparing fiscal analysis, briefing materials, and responses to IMF queries. Through rigorous analysis and policy advisory support, the Fiscal & Incentives Expert will help ensure that the proposed SEZ transition framework is fiscally sustainable, investor-credible, and operationally feasible.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Fiscal & Incentives Expert will be responsible for providing specialised fiscal and analytical support for the SEZ Phase-Out Implementation Plan. Key duties and responsibilities include:

• Conduct detailed fiscal diagnostics of existing SEZ incentive regimes, including tax exemptions, customs concessions, and other fiscal benefits at zone and enterprise levels.
• Undertake a comprehensive fiscal cost analysis of SEZs, covering direct and indirect costs such as incentives, land, infrastructure, utilities, and administrative expenditures.
• Assess the fiscal impact, efficiency, and investor response of alternative cost- and performance-based incentive options.
• Support the design of cost-based and performance-linked incentive frameworks that are fiscally sustainable, IMF-compliant, and aligned with Pakistan’s industrial and investment objectives.
• Analyse enterprise- and developer-level data to assess incentive uptake, utilisation patterns, and fiscal exposure under different transition scenarios.
• Provide analytical support for IMF technical discussions, including preparation of fiscal briefs, costing notes, and responses to IMF queries related to incentive rationalisation.
• Contribute to stakeholder consultations by presenting fiscal findings, explaining incentive reform options, and incorporating feedback into refined analytical outputs.
• Provide technical quality assurance for fiscal and incentive-related deliverables, ensuring methodological robustness, consistency with IMF benchmarks, and alignment with TOR objectives.
• Deliver senior-level briefings and presentations to government leadership, including BoI, SIFC, and other relevant forums, clearly communicating reform options, risks, and recommendations.
• Work closely with the REMIT team to ensure coherence between fiscal analysis, legal reforms, and governance recommendations.