PESHAWAR: Industria-lists Association Peshawar (IAP) president Zarak Khan has asked the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to withdraw its notices issued to industrialists for collection of property tax, saying that the ongoing crackdown by the excise and taxation department officials could lead to closure of industries in the province.

He said in a statement here on Sunday that the excise department should stop harassing the industrialists otherwise the government would lose its credibility.

He predicted rampant unemployment owing to loss of business in the near future. He expressed his concern over the slowdown of business activities due to what he called imprudent decisions taken by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf stalwarts at the helm of affairs.

The IAP president said that the industries in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had never been subjected to property tax, but the present government had not passed this exemption. He alleged that the excise and taxation department was harassing the industrialists by sending notices to industries, which were exempt from property tax for the last three decades.

He asked the chief minister that if taxes could not be reduced they should not be increased. He stated that hurdles were being created in the shape of unilateral decisions of public departments without taking the business community onboard. He said that the misperception of an industrial-friendly environment should not be given.

Zarak Khan warned that the imposition of excise on industries would have adverse impact on common people leading to widespread unemployment and loss of livelihood opportunities.

The industrialist said that the government wanted to enrol more people in its ‘Ehsas’ programme by killing the industry. He said that such projects offered no practical solutions as they would further burden the economy.

The industrialist demanded of the government to take the stakeholders on board before taking any decision regarding a particular sector in order to avoid complications.

Published in Dawn, April 8th, 2019