Traders warn of strike for indefinite
period against withholding tax
From Our Correspondent
MULTAN: Traders and shopkeepers belonging to different trade bodies staged a demonstration in front of the press club against imposition of 0.6 per cent withholding tax on bank transactions.
The protesters were led by Khawaja Suleman Siddique, Muhammad Akhtar Butt, Sheikh Javed Akhtar Matloob Hussain Bukhari, Shahid Mehmood Ansari, Arif Fasihullah, Shahzad Akram, M Idrees Butt and Javed Akhtar Khan. Traders of more than 22 bazaars of Multan city took part in the protest rally. Rejecting the tax, they said that the unfair withholding tax was imposed on the IMF directions. They demanded the government abolish the withholding tax immediately, otherwise they would be forced to close their shops and markets for an indefinite period. Khawaja Suleman Siddique said that traders across the country had rejected the tax and all the businessmen would support traders in their fight against it. He said that it was a cruel tax that would hurt the national economy and national exchequer. He said that the imposition of withholding tax would promote unlawful transactions of money like Hundi. He said that all traders from Karachi to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were united. He said that the banks had no data of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and they were imposing 0.6 per cent withholding tax even on those, who filed income tax returns.
Reports indicate that they tried to breach one of gates, harassed staff, and even scaled walls of premises
Nasir praised role of Interior Minister Syed Mohsin Naqvi, who controlled situation with tolerance
A fierce exchange of fire ensued, but culprits managed to escape under cover of darkness
Police said booked leaders and BYC workers gathered at main Turbat Chowk
Mobile internet outages became common fixtures during protests by PTI since Imran was ousted in 2022
Bokhari emphasised that cases have been registered against "Fasadis", and no one will be spared
