ISLAMABAD: A high level delegation of the traders which represented the two main groups of the Anjuman Tajiran Pakistan held two meetings with the government on withholding tax but the talks remained inconclusive on Thursday.

The first round was held at 2pm in Punjab House, and finance minister Ishaq Dar and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif failed to convince the traders to either become tax filers or pay the withholding tax. The talks failed because Dar locked horns with Anjuman Tajiran Pakistan Naeem Mir group president Ajmal Baloch.

“If you cannot correct the corrupt and inefficient department, then at least don’t make it more powerful,” Baloch told the two officials as traders cheered on. “If the FBR began working properly, everybody would volunteer to be registered as taxpayers.”

The situation took a turn for the worse at the second meeting, at 8:30pm at the FBR. The finance minister did not attend.

It was decided at the meeting, that traders from the Naeem Mir group and the Khalid Pervaiz group would meet with the finance minister, FBR chairperson and other officials on Friday at the FBR house.

Published in Dawn, October 9th, 2015

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