Traders reject fixed tax regime proposal
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LAHORE: Trader on Thursday rejected the government’s proposal of fixed tax regime for small businessmen and merchants, terming it full of discrepancies and against their demands.
“The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) issued this fixed tax draft without consulting us. We have severe reservations and rejecting it out rightly,” All Pakistan Anjuman Tajiran’s (APAT) central secretary general Naeem Mir said at a hurriedly called press conference.
Tearing the fixed tax document, Mir – flanked by the APAT and its member traders’ bodies – said the traders would never accept such lollipops. “It is really a sick joke with 3.1 million retailers across the country. Imposition of fixed tax according to area of the businesses’ premises is absolutely unjustified. This does not cover jewellers, real estate agents, charted accountants, credit-card machines’ holders [in the same vicinity] and only covers small vendors [selling naan, channa, aloo channa, biryani, etc] who are already paying taxes on their electricity bills,” he said.
“We will continue our protests by observing shutdowns for four days in this month and finally we will close our businesses soon after Ashura holidays,” Mir added.
Published in Dawn, August 3rd, 2019
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Comments (18) Closed
Aug 03, 2019 09:19am
The figures are too high and funny to say the least. It would appear that the bribery figures have been added to the taxes in the same, thus depriving the businesses to any benefits to accrue their way. The government would do well to listen to the traders and resolve the tax issues without antagonizing them. It should work more on closing the loopholes for corruption in the government departments by awarding the honest and punishing the culprits among them. It would be ideal for it to call for a feedback from the public at large on these issues and offering them an opportunity to take part in such exercises.
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Aug 03, 2019 11:21am
Nobody wants to pay tax. They were previously asking for fixed tax regime for simplicity and now they are again out of deal .. pity the Nation.
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Aug 03, 2019 11:47am
Traders don't want to pay tax. Simple is that. You will make alot of excuses. Salaried person getting RS.50,000 monthly or less is paying tax. Why you can't pay tax. You have alot of association and other organization that are always come to your rescue. We know you have differences and compete with one another. You are United for the cause not to pay taxes. We salaried people think these people should be dealt with iron hand. Salaried people pay taxes and these people get benifits,like construction of roads in markets, cleanliness in markets, security in markets. I fail to recall any benifit derived by salaried people by payment of taxes. This is our country and want this country should be developed.
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Aug 03, 2019 11:52am
How cunning our Tajiran baradary are - They are "already paying tax on electricity bills"! Wow! They want us to believe that paying electricity bills absolves them of paying tax on their business earnings and profits. Do government and private sector salaried workers do not pay electricity (with tax included)? Let's not forget that most small vendors do not really pay full electricity costs - the vast majority "fix" a deal with meter readers to only pay a small potion. Such cunningness and blackmailer attitude is very sad for the future of this nation. Let them close down their businesses - I am sure others (more honest businesses) could take their place.
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Aug 03, 2019 12:27pm
Get registered, pay tax accordingly otherwise windup your business and left the country. Go that country where no tax is admissible.
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Aug 03, 2019 01:24pm
why dont the traders close down before the eid holidays
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Aug 03, 2019 02:13pm
Most welcome Traders, don't pay any Taxes and aspect Govt. To provide facilities . The Govt should catch such defaulters and punish them with heavy fine and put them behind Bar. Can someone in Europe or Develop countries dare to say that they will not pay Taxes.
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Aug 03, 2019 02:45pm
People will pay tax if they know they are getting something back in return.....at present tax revenue, external and internal borrowings all go towards keeping a few chosen very comfortable. This must change for the people to gain confidence and willing pay a fair tax.
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Aug 03, 2019 03:03pm
@Mansur Ul Haque, Perhaps you have not gone into the details of the so-called fixed tax regime. It is complicated, ambiguous, full of loopholes, links income with size of shop and the area it is situated in--an illogical thing in itself--and the tax rate is too high for small businesses. The regime and its FBR, it seems, are determined to make life hell for the people, the poor and small businesses in particular. Tax, tax, tax is their slogan, without doing anything concrete to revive the economy, which is stagnating because of their inquisition-like attitude towards the people, both tax-payers and those who are not even taxable! Is it what you want? The net result of all this would be a reduction in tax collected and winding up of many small businesses, with consequence increase in unemployment.
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Aug 03, 2019 03:10pm
In order to restore confidence of the people on FBR, first of all FBR manpower should be throughly probed and whosoever have abused powers in any way, must be punished and all details should made public. People are not shy of paying taxes rather they are scared of tax officials. The actual due tax payable for most would not be more than people pay in bribery.
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Aug 03, 2019 04:33pm
All these traders unwilling to pay taxes must pay taxes by all means. As a tax payer, I must say that they should not make any qualms about paying taxes. I pay taxes in my utility bill but also pay a withholding income tax at the same time.
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Aug 03, 2019 06:57pm
Send all traders to jail and confiscate their businesses if dont pay taxes. Established Gov base businesses own by Gov . So FBR can have check and balance on taxes.
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Aug 03, 2019 09:45pm
Yeah, businesses just don’t want to pay taxes. That is only for the salaried class. We will pay taxes through direct and indirect taxation, while businesses will get away with it as they always have.
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Aug 03, 2019 11:18pm
Only 0.8% of Pakistanis file taxes and tax to gdp ratio is 9% here. Yet these traders claim we pay taxes like they do in Europe! In Norway however, 100% of the population files taxes, and the tax to gdp ratio is a whopping 54%! Perhaps the FBR SHOULD tax them like the Europeans do and actually give them something to cry about.
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Aug 04, 2019 12:58am
The word "Tax" is new for many a people as mostly people do business on simple calculation and that is: what is initial investment in doing business, how much money they will get in return, what will be salaries and utilities bills, how much will be the overhead expenses.
As far as paying tax is concerned people say that there is no concept of paying tax to govt. and only Zakat is permissible in Islam to give to poor and needy people.
The word "Tax" originate from non-Islamic countries, more precisely, from western countries, so giving tax to govt. is a sheer waste of money and instead it is better to give money in charity for the welfare of poor people.
If people thinks so they may be right on one point that tax payers money collected by govt. is never spent back on tax payers but the money is being eaten up by govt. officials.
Before imposing any thing unwanted FBR should first consult with stakeholders to satisfy them if they pay tax it will be spent back on tax payers.
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Aug 04, 2019 02:14am
Reject noways dont let your vote go wasted!!!
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Aug 04, 2019 02:36am
Traders want to continue to cheat and not pay any taxes
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Aug 04, 2019 01:33pm
If the state becomes so active in collecting taxes then it should also to provide services to its citizen. Even the conditions of basic things such as security, electricity, gas, roads, hospitals are very bad in the country. The state should improve the quality and quantity of these services.
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