PESHAWAR, Sept 8: The NWFP Minister for Revenue, Aminullah Khan Gandapur, has agreed to lower the professional tax limit for small and medium-size shops in the Frontier province.

He made the announcement on Saturday at a meeting with a six-member delegation of Peshawar Traders Association headed by Haji Mohammad Afzal, President of the association.

The delegation apprised the minister of the problems of the traders community, including payment of professional tax and demanded relaxation in the payment of tax arrears.

The minister listened to their problems patiently and assured them that the government would not do any injustice to any section of the society.

On the occasion, the minister decided that the professional tax would be divided into three categories and every shopkeeper would be required to pay Rs100 to Rs200 as professional tax annually.

Similarly, the shopkeeper of lower category will pay Rs100, middle category Rs150, while the upper category shopkeeper will pay Rs200 against each unit respectively.

Regarding arrears of professional tax, the minister decided that the Excise and Taxation Department would not charge the same arrears from those shopkeepers who had already paid their arrears to the Municipal Corporation Peshawar. It was also decided that professional tax would be deposited in a week’s time after issuing notices to the shopkeepers by the Excise and Taxation Department.

It may be mentioned that the provincial cabinet had at a meeting decided that the professional tax would be collected by the Excise and Taxation Department.

On the occasion, the NWFP Minister for Industries, Mohsin Aziz, Director-General Excise & Taxation Shaukat Mohmand and Deputy Director Excise and Taxation Zarin Shad were also present.

TEXTBOOK BOARD: The NWFP Minister for Education and Information, Syed Imtiaz Hussain Gillani, presided over a meeting on Saturday to discuss dealing of the Provincial Textbook Board with Oxford University Press regarding publication of science textbooks.