Teachers back merger of Fata Edu Directorate into province

PESHAWAR: The interim committee of teachers in Education Department has supported the merger of the Fata Education Directorate in the provincial directorate and asked the government to provide them with more facilities.

Speaking at a news conference at Peshawar Press Club on Wednesday, Gulabdin Afridi, Jangraiz Khan, Mohammad Asghar, Saifullah and others said that the government had notified merger of Education Department.

He observed that some elements in the previous Education Directorate at the Fata Secretariat were instigating people to create hurdles in the merger process.

Gulabdin said there was no representative organisation of teachers in tribal districts.

He said those who were demanding the restoration of Education Directorate for five years, were, in fact, promoting own vested interests, urging the government to accelerate the merger process.

Gulabdin asked the government to take action against those using the name of Fata teachers for collecting donations.

Local tobacco companies to be taxed as per revenue generation: Chairperson, Senate Special Committee on Causes of Decline in Tax Collection of Tobacco, Kulsoom Parveen on Wednesday said the local tobacco companies would be taxed in accordance with overall capacity and revenue generation.

She was talking to reporters after visiting tobacco companies in Charsadda, Swabi, Nowshera and Mardan districts.

The senator said that clear difference in tax ratio between multi-national companies (MNCs) and local tobacco companies would be maintained. Members of Senate Special Committee Senator Dilawar Khan and Senator Hidayatullah Khan were also present.

Kulsoom Perveen said recommendations for the abolition of Rs300 taxes imposed on local tobacco companies have been sent to the committees concerned and organisations.

She said, “The local companies cannot compete with international companies.”

The chairperson maintained that issues about the tax collection during transfer of tobaccos within a province would be taken up with officials of the Federal Board of Revenue. Kulsoom Perveen said thousands of labourers are working in about 20,000 tobacco furnaces across the province.

She added the workers faced problems when local companies were brought under heavy taxes. The senator said the difference in taxes between MNCs and local companies would help create employment opportunities.

She said the reduction in tax recovery had been witnessed in the tobacco sector which is a great loss to the national economy.