Refuse registration, submission of CNIC copy: Traders’ countrywide shutterdown on 28th

ISLAMABAD. The Serena Chowk was like a battlefield where a large number of traders faced police ‘lathi charge’ as they raised full-throated slogans against tax reforms of PTI government on Wednesday.

The trader community after failure of talks with the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) announced to observe a countrywide ‘shutter-down’ strike on October 28 and 29 against government tax reforms.

The business community strongly rejected condition to submit copy of Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC) on sale and purchase of more than Rs50,000. They also refused to get themselves registered with the FBR.

A protest demonstration was held by the traders under the banner of ‘Tajir Bachao March’ against the tax reforms introduced by the government. The protesting traders attempted to move towards the Federal Board of Revenue’s office.

However, the police stopped the protesters at the Serena Chowk, where they observed a sit-in. A few enraged protesters attempted to cause damage to the public properties and tried to remove barbed wires in the area. But, police officials used power and baton-charged the protesters.

Meanwhile, the FBR decided to hold talks with the protesters, but they failed to yield any results.

Talking to the newsmen, the leaders of the protesting traders’ community claimed that the FBR is not ready to listen to their demands and added that they will not pay unjust taxes. They said that they are ready to pay taxes but they needed relaxation by government in return. Unfortunately, government wanted to cut the rope from both ends, the protesters denounced.

They further said that the business community will not accept the condition of presentation of a copy of their CNICs for the sale and purchase of goods.

The traders hoped that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government will reconsider their demands and will provide them the fix tax scheme. They also said that traders were united for their demands and will continue their protest till the announcement of FBR in favor of traders.

Meanwhile, The News made efforts to get version of the FBR but no one was available to give comments on the demands of the traders.

After holding parleys with Member FBR Dr Hamid Ateeq Sarwar and Member Audit Nausheen Javed, the trader leaders announced that they failed to strike consensus and now they decided to continue protest with one-hour shutter down on daily basis with effect from October 15 and would hold countrywide shutter down strike on October 28 and 29, 2019.

The protesters marched towards FBR by holding coffin on their shoulders and raised slogans against PTI-led regime.

The trader leaders Khawaja Shafique and Ajmal Baloch said that the government was not serious to resolve their problems as they continued parleys for several months but nothing substantial came out of it.

Ajmal Baloch said, on the occasion, that the government was taking measures to please the IMF and asked the government to introduce fixed tax regime for small traders, introduce single page form for income tax return in the Urdu language and exempt them from audit. The condition of CNICs for sale and purchase should be abolished, he added.

The traders also asked for abolishing federal excise duty on locally-manufactured vehicles. The rate of turnover tax should be slashed down immediately. They also demanded that the traders should not be made withholding agents.