Tajir Dost scheme to stay, retailers told

ISLAMABAD: While refusing to withdraw the Tajir Dost Scheme, the FBR assured retailers that their genuine concerns would be resolved amicably on Tuesday.

FBR Chairman Rashid Mahmood Langrial invited retailers in the board headquarters to make efforts to convince them to avoid a strike which they announced in whole country on Wednesday (today). Those who are opposing the scheme sternly did not participate.

The retailers’ scheme has failed to get momentum. Although, the number of registration crossed 150,000 last week but the collected amount was just peanuts and stood at less than Rs0.1 million. The FBR had expanded the retailers’ scheme from 6 to 42 cities and imposed a tax ranging from Rs 100 to Rs 60,000 depending upon the value of shops.

The government has agreed with the IMF to fetch Rs50 billion through the retailers’ scheme during the current fiscal year, but the FBR has failed to bring them into the tax net. Although the government had involved trader leader Naeem Mir from Lahore to convince retailers to come into the tax net, no apparent success was achieved.