ICCI for hefty relief to common man in budget

Islamabad

The Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) has called upon the government to provide hefty relief to the common man in the new budget as the common man was suffering great problems due to high cost of life caused by heavy taxes and other factors.

ICCI President Khalid Iqbal Malik said that high tax rates and large number of taxes in Pakistan were putting more burden on the common man and reducing his purchasing power due to which business activities were also suffering. He stressed that government should make significant cut in taxes in the forthcoming budget that would provide relief to the general public and facilitate better growth of trade and industrial activities.

He said that high rate of GST in Pakistan was major cause of inflation and high cost of doing business. He stressed that government should bring down GST to single digit level and reduce number of withholding taxes in the new budget. He said government's major reliance on indirect taxes was creating problems for the people and stressed that government should focus on direct taxes in the forthcoming budget.

He said that complicated taxation system and high tax rates were promoting the culture of tax evasion while the genuine taxpayers were also facing problems. He emphasised that FBR should focus on simplification of tax system that would help in promoting tax culture and improving tax revenue of the country.