Siraj for withdrawal of new taxes on edibles

LAHORE
Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Senator Sirajul Haq has condemned the levy of additional taxes on edibles and big increase in existing taxes on poultry, milk etc. saying it would make chicken out of the masses’ reach.
In a statement on Thursday, he said the burden of these taxes would fall on the general public and the prices of mutton and beef would also rise. He called for withdrawal of the new taxes and reducing the existing taxes on poultry in the public interest. The JI chief said mutton and beef prices were already high due to which the common man could not even think of having these, while poultry had been comparatively cheaper and masses could afford it but the new taxes would increase its prices greatly.
Sirajul Haq said in the field of agriculture, poultry was the most organised sector and was meeting 40 percent of meat requirement in the country. Jobs of more than 1.8 million people were linked with this sector.
He said instead of creating new job opportunities for people, the government was curtailing the existing jobs due to its wrong and anti-people policies. He said in the neighbouring countries, poultry feed was exempted from sales tax due to which chicken was cheaper there as compared to Pakistan. Meanwhile, in a message on the advent of holy month of Ramazan, Sirajul Haq said the security forces alone could not meet the challenge of terrorism unless its roots in political issues, poverty, unemployment and other problems faced by the common man were resolved.
He said general public was fed up with the internal battles of the elite class and wanted the solution of its problems. The youth was facing unemployment and was worried about their future. The rulers must give high priority to the youth and warned that if necessary resources were not allocated for the youth and respectable means of earnings were not created for them, the country would be heading towards anarchy.
Sirajul Haq said country’s banks were granting heavy loans to unscrupulous people who swallowed this money on different excuses and with impunity. The need of the hour was that interest-free loans be given to the educated, skilled and semi-skilled youth enabling them to stand on their own feet, and added that the problem of unemployment could not be solved merely by providing government jobs.
He said the industrial development in the country had stopped due to energy crisis which was also causing load shedding, adding to the difficulties of the masses. He said the genie of price-hike had been out before Ramazan and was controlling the markets. He said it was the responsibility of the administration to kick out this genie and stop profiteering by the