ISLAMABAD: As the traders community has rejected an offer of talks from the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), JUIF Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has also announced support for a countrywide strike on August 28 (today) against the Tajir Dost Scheme, taxes on electricity bills and other government’s measures.
Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, Markazi Tanzeem-e-Tajran Pakistan President Kashif Chaudhry said the traders community while rejecting the FBR offer of talks decided to go ahead with the shutdown call for August 28. “We cannot waste our time anymore as the call for strike was given on August 12 after the failure of negotiations with the FBR, which continued for one and a half months,” he said.
Fazl has also announced support for the strike call, asking his party workers and business forums to make the strike successful. “We extend our support for Wednesday’s shutdown call by the traders community as the price hike and illegal taxes have made the life of the common man miserable,” he said in a statement issued by the JUIF Media Cell on Tuesday.
Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Ameer Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has already supported the traders in this context. National Labour Federation President Shamsur Rehman Swati and other labour and trader organizations have also backed the strike call.
Kashif told media that traders were prepared for the strike from Khyber to Karachi and it would to be a referendum against government oppressive taxation measures. He alleged that the government instead of paying heed to traders’ problems used district administrations to pressurize them. “Traders who faced even the dictatorship of Musharraf would not come under any pressure and could not be deceived by tactics,” he said, adding that neither the Tajir Dost Scheme nor 13 types of taxes included in electricity bills were acceptable to traders. He warned that traders would announce a further strategy if their demands were not met by Wednesday evening.
Khalid Kheshgi adds: The Awami National Party (ANP) has announced to extend support to the countrywide strike of traders and businessmen community, saying the government was imposing heavy taxes on the people instead of giving them relief.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, ANP president Senator Aimal Wali Khan said the country was being run under the dictations and conditions of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and other international monetary organizations.
“Foreign debts are being taken but there is no relief to common people and the businessmen community,” he said.
He added the economic policy and high inflation had multiplied the problems of people.
The ANP leader said heavy taxes were being collected in electricity and other utility bills from the common people. He said the government had not spared even the small traders and shopkeepers, who were also being taxed.
“The tax-payers are not getting any relief or incentives,” Aimal Wali said and added the government must sit with the representatives of the business community to fulfill their demands.
The ANP leader asked his party organizations to support today’s strike of the business community at district level and main cities.
Meanwhile, ANP provincial general secretary Hussain Shah Yusufzai slammed the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government for imposing taxes in Malakand division.
He said the government had issued a circular about collection of taxes from the traders and businessmen in Swat and other parts of Malakand division.
He said the ANP would oppose any move to bring the people of Malakand into the tax net as under an agreement they had been exempted from taxes till the end of current financial year.
In a separate statement, ANP provincial president Mian Iftikhar Hussain expressed concern over the growing incidents of militancy and target killing in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
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