Daily Times

Traders have threatened to launch a countrywide protest from the platform of the Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) against the government if Section 203-A of the recently passed Finance Act 2021-22 is not withdrawn that empowers to arrest and prosecute any person for concealment of income to assistant commissioners of Inland Revenue Service merely based on an accusation or doubt. They also chanted slogan “give respect to traders and business community: anti-traders laws rejected”.

The “Tajir Convention”, which was organized by the Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) at a local hotel of Lahore, was attended by all major bodies and associations of traders from across Punjab.

Criticizing the current government, KhawajaShahzeb deplored that they had held meetings with Prime Minister Imran Khan before the passage of the federal and provincial budgets and the latter had assured them of providing a “real-time” relief to them. However, when the government unveiled its budgets, everything was against what it had promised, he added. “It seems that the bureaucracy has won.”

He said section 203-A is actually “section-302” (of the PPC) for trader, adding that instead of giving any target to the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), the government has made it compulsory for the distributers to collect advance taxes from pharmacies. “Is it the responsibility of the distributers?” He regretted that before the passage of the budgets, the government had announced that no increase in the tariffs of electricity and gas would be made but things turned out totally otherwise when the budgets were passed. “This government has done everything that seriously affected the people, particularly the common man,” he observed.