LAHORE: While demanding an immediate stop to raids at business premises and showing of disrespect to the tax paying community, the Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry has urged the government to constitute a committee having representatives from public and private sectors to sort out the issue.
On Thursday, the LCCI President Almas Hyder while talking with media said that proposed committee should have representatives of the chambers, bar associations, market & industrial associations and Federal Board Revenue (FBR) as this is the only way to resolve the issue of undue raids at business premises and disrespect the business community.
The LCCI President said that Section 38-B of Sales Tax Act, 1990 is being misused by the officials of tax department. Tax officials are visiting markets and godowns to unjustifiably harass the business people. They not only raise unlawful demands but also carry all the available records with them.
LCCI Senior Vice President Khawaja Shahzad Nasir and Vice President Faheem-ur-Rehman Saigal said that teams from tax department should immediately stop visits to the markets, industrial units and other business premises. If there is an urgent need for stock taking and ascertaining the sales tax liability of any particular business unit, the FBR officials should take association concerned or the Lahore Chamber on board first.
