Additional taxes, sales tax registration: Traders announce protest outside Finance Ministry on 27th

ISLAMABAD: The traders community on Sunday announced to stage a protest in front of the Ministry of Finance on September 27 against promulgation of a presidential ordinance to impose additional taxes and forcing sales tax registration of traders.

Addressing a press conference here, President of the Markazi Tanzeem Tajran Pakistan Muhammad Kashif Chaudhry said that traders from across the country would reach Islamabad to register their protest against imposition of new taxes, forcing registration of traders and installation of point of sale machines.

“The traders will surround the premises of the Ministry of Finance on September 27 to register their protest,” he said. He said that promulgation of presidential ordinance regarding new taxes was not acceptable in presence of the Parliament.

“Neither the government brought this issue of taxes in the Parliament nor it consulted the traders community,” Kashif Chaudhry said. He questioned as to where the economic policies were being formulated when the Parliament and the traders community are not consulted or taken into confidence. He told newsmen that prior to gathering in Islamabad, the traders’ community would also hold a national traders convention in Multan on 23rd of this month.

President of Markazi Tanzeem Tajran, Sharjeel Mir, Malik Zaheer, Malik Rizwan, Chaudhry Sajid Iqbal, Sajjad Abbasi and others were also present on the occasion. Kashif Chaudhry recalled that the government agreed with them on constitution of committees with representation of traders’ communities, bringing rate of turnover tax at 0.25%, abolishing withholding tax gradually and to reduce sales tax to 17% but no promise had been fulfilled.