FBR to fix stone crushers issues

ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Hammad Azhar on Friday directed Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to resolve stone crushing industry’s taxation related issues and address their grievances without delay.

The Finance Minister issued these directives in a meeting with a delegation of senior members of Stone Crushing Associations (SCA), led by the Minister for Labour and Human Resource, Punjab Ansar Majeed Khan at the Finance Division.

During the meeting the SCA members informed Finance Minister about matters related to taxation, especially sales tax and requested to streamline the whole process by removing anomalies to facilitate stone crushing industry across the board. Azhar directed the tax authority to hold consultative sessions with the representatives of the SCA and work out modalities for smooth enforcement of taxation benchmarks (with sub-categories) after evolving consensus among key stakeholders.

The association officials also briefed the Finance Minister about the operations of the industry, which was an important pillar of the construction industry as a whole.

Azhar stated that stone crushing is of fundamental importance as it was a source of building blocks for the construction.

He lauded the valuable contribution of the industry and assured full cooperation and facilitation on the occasion.

The Finance Minister reiterated the firm commitment of the government in promoting construction industry, which triggered an impressive growth underpinning V-shape recovery amid Covid-19 pandemic.

He outlined various stimulus measures taken by the government to support the overall construction industry that led to a strong rebound in economic activity during the crisis, he added. The SCA officials complimented the Finance Minister on assuming additional responsibilities and thanked him for his continuous support and facilitation.