ISLAMABAD: What is being described as government’s failure, the Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce &Industry (RCCI) will approach all Pakistan chambers’ presidents and presidents of All Pakistan Traders Associations to give a unanimous call for a countrywide strike against SRO 608, sales tax and withholding tax reforms.
The decision was made a meeting of the RCCI chaired by its President Syed Asad Mashhadi while leaders of all trade associations of the city and Cantt attended it.
Speaking to the participants, the RCCI president informed the traders’ leaders that a month before, the business community of the region issued a joint weeklong deadline to the government to withdraw SRO 608 and accept their other demands otherwise they would go on a strike. Following their announcement, a two members parliamentary committee comprising MNA Mian Abdul Manan and MNA Malik Pervaiz contacted the chamber and sought to resolve the issue through dialogue.
Mashhadi said that he with consultations of traders, accepted the parliamentarians’ suggestion. However, after series of month-long meetings, the parliamentary committee failed to produce any result and at the same time businessmen community is receiving audit notices from the board which was a blackmailing tactic.
The RCCI informed that he would contact All Pakistan chambers presidents and leaders of All Pakistan trade associations to join hands with RCCI and announce a final date for the strike. On the occasion, all the traders leaders regretted that the stubborn policies of govt had weaken its political strength and strike of business community would draw the last nail in its coffin. They alleged the government was promoting and consulting traders of its choice and ignoring real representatives of the business community.
