Traders protest against taxes

MARDAN: The traders here on Tuesday staged protest against unaffordable taxes and increase in prices of essential commodities.

Led by Zahir Shah, president Mardan Chamber of Commerce and Industry and district president of Markaz-e-Tanzeem-e-Tajiran, provincial president of Markaz-e-Tanzeem-e-Tajiran Sharafat Ali Mubarak, Sahibzada, Fayyaz Khan, Sher Ali Khan and others, the protesters gathered outside the Mardan Press Club.

The protesters blocked the Shamsi Road for traffic and chanted slogans against the federal government.

Later, addressing a news conference, the trader representatives criticised the government for introducing anti-people and anti-traders budget.

They added that the businessmen weren’t prepared to accept this new tax system. The protesters said that they were not ready to accept the IMF-dictated budget. The trader representatives vowed not to hold negotiation with the government before the July 13 protest. “We will strictly follow the shutter down strike call given by traders at the federal level and will keep our businesses completely shut on July 13,” said one of the traders.