LAHORE: All Pakistan Dry Ports Association members and Customs Agents Association staged a strong protest demonstration on Wednesday against levy of Infrastructure Development Cess in Punjab province.
The demonstration was participated by a large number of members of both the organizations and their office bearers. The protestors urged the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and Chairman Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to press the provincial government to immediately withdraw the Infrastructure Development Cess.
Later while addressing a press conference at the Lahore Press Club (LPC), All Pakistan Customs Agents Association chairman Sheikh Mukhtar said that imposition of this cess had resulted in double taxation on clearance of imported goods. He alleged that importers of Lahore and other parts of the province had stopped getting their goods cleared at dry ports in Lahore and other parts of Punjab leading to unemployment of thousands of clearing agents and their employees.
He said that importers had to pay at two stages first in Sindh at landing of goods and then in Lahore or other ports at the time of clearance of the consignment, which had forced the importers to stop hiring services of clearing agents in Lahore and other parts.
All Pakistan Dry Ports Association Chairman Sheikh Mukhtar said that this double taxation had resulted in creating monopoly of Karachi based clearing agents in this sector.
Both the organisation urged the government to withdraw this tax forthwith saving the clearing agents and their dependents from starvation. They warned that no body from the customs clearing agents or their family would vote for the ruling party in next elections if their grievances are not redressed at the earliest.
