PESHAWAR: Industrialists rejected the government’s decision regarding restoration of Octroi, a tax on various goods brought into a town, which would be collected on various checkpoints across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and urged the government to revise its decision forthwith.
Chairing a meeting here at Industrial Estate Hayatabad Peshawar on Tuesday, Industrialists Association Peshawar (IAP) President Malik Imran Ishaq strongly objected the government’s decision of re-imposition of ‘Mahsul Chungi’ system (Octroi), which was unacceptable to them.
He said this old and primitive system is a reflection of anti-industrialists, which had abolished after enormous difficulties being confronted by the business community and huge drawbacks.
He informed the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) is collecting 3 per cent sale tax on the same head, so it would be double taxation, while all provinces were also recovering revenue, collected through the same tax from the centre.
Malik Imran said that the industrial sector was adversely affected by terrorism, followed by the coronavirus pandemic, which is yet not fully revived. So, he added, the imposition of the ‘Mahsul Chungi’ system would be completely unjust and unfair.
He urged the government to utilize alternative resources for enhancement of provincial revenue instead of restoring the Mahsul Chungi system.
The association president also asked the provincial government to avoid taking any such steps, which would cause closure of industries in the province as it would trigger unemployment as a result of stagnation in the industrial sector.
Malik Imran urged the government to adopt business-friendly policies in order to give relief to Covid-19 hit industries and businesses in the province.
