RAWALPINDI: The Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) President Malik Shahid Saleem has expressed grave concern on a new wave of harassment against tax payers.
He said in recent wave false cases (FIRs) being registered against Mian Muhammad Idrees, a renowned business personality, former President of Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry, (FPCCI) and also CEO Sitara Chemical Industries Ltd. Multiple cases have been registered against him in different cities so to put him on run from one city to other to deal the cases.
Muhammad Idrees, who is from a noble industrial family and his company falls under top 100 taxpayers companies of the country, which paid Rs. 2465 million sales and income tax in year 2017-18 and 2018-19, he added.
He said that businesses are already in a complicated state-of-affairs, while anti-business actions against business community are not only adding to the miseries of the business community but are also promoting trust deficit between the government and the business community.
Developing countries like Pakistan where markets run on sentiments, such acts altered the investor’s confidence, create panic and pushed local investors to run away from the country, he deplored.
He further stated that authorities should stop harassing filers, as non-filers who are outside the tax net are not accounted for at all, which discourages businesses to come into the tax net. Registered businesses are required to comply with various departments involving a lot of financial and time resources, whereas unregistered businesses are free from all such hassles, he maintained.
Malik Shahid Saleem said that these actions are totally in contradiction of Government policies towards ease of doing business and economic revival through commercial business and industrial activities.
RCCI president has appealed authorities including Interior Ministry, I.G. Police and Securities Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) for taking necessary actions.
