HYDERABAD, Jan 29: The president of All Sindh Cattle Merchants Welfare Association, Mohammad Sarwar, has criticized the levy of tax on the sacrificial animals by the Malir Cantonment Board, Karachi.

Talking at the annual meeting of the cattle merchants here on Monday, he said that levy of this tax was tantamount to committing economic murder of the cattle merchants.

The general secretary of the association, Abdul Qayoom Halepoto, said that Rs75 tax had been levied on a goat and Rs275 on a cow, which he termed as injustice with the cattle merchants.

He said that the cattle merchants took care of the livestock for whole year and the profit was taken away by the Malir Cantonment Board.

Ashraf Brohi alleged that last year Rs200 million tax was collected from the cattle merchants but only Rs70 million was deposited and the remaining amount was misappropriated.

The meeting appealed to the Sindh governor and agriculture minister to exempt the sacrificial animals from taxes.