LAHORE: The three factions of All Pakistan Anjuman-i-Tajiran on Monday issued a ‘charter of demands’, asking the government to defer the Withholding Tax on banking transactions till Dec 31, 2015 and constitute one central and 14 regional committees to resolve the traders’ issues.

Addressing a press conference at the Press Club, APAT central secretary general Naeem Mir presented the 12-point charter of demands on behalf of all the three APTA groups respectively led by Naeem Mir, Ashraf Bhatti and Khalid Pervaiz.

He reiterated that traders were still ready for talks with the government which should call the “real stakeholders” for a dialogue instead of holding meetings with chambers representatives.

“If traders are not invited for dialogues to resolve the issue, they will have no option but to hold protest demonstrations and shutdowns across the country,” he said.

Come up with a ‘charter of demands’

Mir said the business community of Lahore had agreed upon countrywide shutdowns on Sept 9 and Oct 7 against the imposition of 0.3 percent WHT on banking transactions.

The traders had one-point agenda of developing consensus on the date of the strike, he said, adding the three APAT factions had decided to reject forced collection of the tax.

Listing other points of the charter, Mr Mir urged the government to defer WHT on banking transactions till Dec 31, 2015.

He said 0.3pc WHT on cash withdrawal for filers should be suspended and the tax collected since August 2015 should be refunded to the taxpayers.

He suggested that Sales Tax Act 1999 should be amended and entire ST should be deducted at manufacturing and import levels while traders should be exempted from value-added tax.

The charter also demands that Income Tax Ordinance 2001 should be amended and slab and GP systems be abolished, introducing a simple tax mechanisim.

Turnover tax should not exceed the ratio of 0.25pc and new slab system (sector to sector) should be started, it said.

The traders demanded that new filers having capital of Rs500 million, one home, one shop and one vehicle should be exempted from audit for five years under ‘Accounts Regularization Scheme’.

They also sought elimination of Sale Tax on power bills for commercial consumers, besides extension in tax returns date.

They demanded the government should pledge that Wealth Tax would not be imposed and that Khyber Pakhtunkhawh should be exempted from Income Tax for three years due to terrorism.

The regional committees should be constituted in Lahore, Karachi, Sargodha, Sialkot, Multan, Faisalabad, Hyderabad, Sukhur, Quetta, Pishawar, Gujranwala, Pindi and Islamabad, they demanded.

Published in Dawn, September 1st, 2015

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