"We will surround the premises of the Ministry of Finance on September 27 to register their protest,” says traders' leader
ISLAMABAD: Traders have announced to stage a protest demonstration against promulgation of a presidential ordinance to impose additional taxes and forcing sales tax registration of traders outside the Finance Ministry in Islamabad on September 27, The News reported.
Addressing a press conference on Sunday, Markazi Tanzeem Tajran Pakistan President Muhammad Kashif Chaudhry said, “The traders will surround the premises of the Ministry of Finance on September 27 to register their protest.”
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He maintained that traders from across the country would reach Islamabad to register their protest against the imposition of new taxes, forcing registration of traders and installation of point of sale machines.
He said that promulgation of the presidential ordinance regarding new taxes was not acceptable in presence of the Parliament.
“Neither the government brought this issue of taxes in the Parliament nor it consulted the traders’ community,” Kashif Chaudhry said. He questioned as to where the economic policies were being formulated when the Parliament and the traders’ community are not consulted or taken into confidence.
He told newsmen that prior to gathering in Islamabad, they would also hold a national traders convention in Multan on the 23rd of this month.
President of Markazi Tanzeem Tajran, Sharjeel Mir, Malik Zaheer, Malik Rizwan, Chaudhry Sajid Iqbal, Sajjad Abbasi and others were also present on the occasion.
Kashif Chaudhry recalled that the government agreed with them on the constitution of committees with the representation of traders’ communities, bringing the rate of turnover tax at 0.25%, abolishing withholding tax gradually and to reduce sales tax to 17% but no promise had been fulfilled.