ISLAMABAD: Rejecting the call for civil disobedience, various trade bodies have described Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s call for non-payment of taxes and duties as unjustified and illegal.
Talking to Customs Today, the office bearers of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) and Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) opined that Khan’s call was impracticable.
“How can a common user refuse to pay sales tax or levy which is already included in the price of every commodity,” said former FPCCI Vice President Munawwar Mughal.
He commented that the government had devised such a mechanism that no one could use any service or utility without paying taxes. “The end consumer cannot stop buying daily-use items or services on the call given by Khan,” he said, adding that Khan’s call can have serious repercussions.
He observed that if the federal government would not collect revenue through taxes or sales tax, how the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government would get funds to run its affairs and launch the development projects.
He was of the view that by giving such a call, the skipper-turned-politician had exposed his political immaturity because the call for non-payment of taxes would harm the state.
Another former RCCI office bearer Sheikh Siddique opined that Khan should have not given such an irrational call because it would not only affect the imports and exports but also small businesses.
“If we refuse to pay import duty to the government, then how can we release our containers from the Pakistan Customs” he questioned, adding that “If we fail in getting our containers released, we will not be able to carry out business activities.”
