Fiscal & Incentives Expert for SEZ Phase‑Out (REMIT Programme)

About the role

The Fiscal & Incentives Expert will provide specialised technical expertise to support the Government of Pakistan in designing and implementing the SEZ Phase‑Out Implementation Plan, focusing on Phase A (Planning and Assessment) of the IMF‑mandated reform programme.

Key responsibilities

• Conduct detailed fiscal diagnostics of existing SEZ incentive regimes, including tax exemptions, customs concessions and other fiscal benefits.
• Undertake comprehensive fiscal cost analysis 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 and IMF‑compliant.
• Analyse enterprise‑ and developer‑level data to evaluate incentive uptake, utilisation patterns and fiscal exposure under different transition scenarios.
• Prepare fiscal briefs, costing notes and responses to IMF queries related to incentive rationalisation.
• Present fiscal findings to stakeholder consultations, incorporate feedback and ensure methodological robustness.
• Deliver senior‑level briefings and presentations to government leadership, including the Board of Investment and the Special Investment Facilitation Council.
• Collaborate closely with the REMIT team to align fiscal analysis with legal reforms and governance recommendations.

Required profile

• Advanced degree (Master’s or higher) in Economics, Finance, Public Finance, Fiscal Policy or a closely related discipline.
• Professional experience in fiscal analysis, incentive design or public‑finance reform, preferably within industrial‑policy or investment‑climate contexts.
• Proven ability to conduct fiscal cost‑benefit analyses of tax and non‑tax incentives, estimating both direct and indirect fiscal impacts.
• Strong understanding of SEZ incentive regimes and the distinction between cost‑based and profit‑based incentive frameworks in emerging markets.
• Experience advising governments, international organisations or donor‑funded programmes on incentive rationalisation or subsidy reform.
• Familiarity with IMF fiscal conditionalities, structural benchmarks and incentive‑reform requirements is highly desirable.
• Ability to translate complex fiscal analysis into clear, actionable policy recommendations for senior policymakers.
• Demonstrated experience supporting stakeholder and investor consultations, synthesising feedback into final analytical outputs.