Traders refuse to pay ‘signboard tax’ in Mansehra

MANSEHRA: The central body of traders on Tuesday refused to pay the ‘signboard tax’ imposed by the Tehsil Municipal Administration on shopkeepers and businessmen.

“We have already been paying various sorts of taxes. And the TMA, which has already been receiving shutter and other levies, has now imposed a signboard duty which is unacceptable to us at any cost,” Haroonur Rasheed, the president of traders’ body, told a meeting of traders here.

The traders’ body discussed in detail the signboard tax levied by the TMA from Rs5,000 to Rs15,000 annually and decided not to pay the tax.

“The traders and business community have already been suffering the brunt of the coronavirus and ever highest inflation, and in such a situation no fresh taxes are acceptable,” Rasheed said.

The traders also decided to go on strike and launch street agitation if the TMA didn’t withdraw the signboard tax, which is being received on the size of the boards installed at shops and business centres.

Speaking on the occasion, the traders’ body’s general secretary, Mohammad Hanif, said, “We want the TMA to immediately withdraw the newly imposed tax, or else we will observe a complete shutter-down strike.” Chairman trader’s body, Fayyaz Soleria, said that tehsil nazim should also intervene to abolish this unjustified tax.

Meanwhile, the tehsil administration on Tuesday launched an anti-encroachment drive in the city and its suburbs.

The joint team of Tehsil Administration and Tehsil Municipal Administration led by the Assistant Commissioner (Revenue) Ali Imtiaz Khan removed the concrete and temporary encroachments from Zafar Road, Kashmir Road and Abbottabad Road and shifted them to TMA’s warehouse.

The team also removed the handcarts, creating hurdles in the smooth flow of traffic.

“We have launched this operation on public complaints and removed concrete and temporary encroachments,” Khan said.