Flour dealers ask govt to take back withholding tax

PESHAWAR: Pakistan Flour Mills Association Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Tuesday asked the federal government to withdraw the withholding tax on flour.

Speaking at a press conference, the association chairman Muhammad Iqbal Khan and other office-bearers Naeem Butt and others said that they would observe a shutdown strike if their demands were not met by July 11.

They asked the Punjab government to allow the free movement of flour to KP and abolish all the checkposts established for checking the flour movement to the province.The flour dealers said the country had enough stock of flour but alleged that the federal government wanted to export the commodity.

They said that Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s promise of relief to the masses had proved to be a political statement.The flour dealers said despite more than the required stock of flour, the Punjab government’s ban on the flour movement to other provinces was unjustified.

They alleged that officials were getting huge bribes from flour dealers on these checkposts.The flour dealers stated that their requirement was 5.2 million tons of wheat flour while the production was 0.8 million tons.

They asked the government to withdraw the withholding tax on flour and Maximum Demand Indicator charges in the electricity bills and allow the flour movement to KP. They warned of launching a shutter-down protest for an indefinite period if their demands were not met by July 11.