MULTAN, May 21: The Chamber of Small Traders rejected on Tuesday the ‘unjustified tax proposals’ of the Multan City Tehsil Administration for the 2002-2003 fiscal year.

Speaking at a press conference, CST Multan City president Muhammad Arshad Bajwa criticized the city tehsil administration for proposing unprecedented hike in the existing levies and bringing even the petty business concerns like push-cart and tri-cycle into the tax net.

“It seems that people at the helm of city tehsil affairs are devoid of sanity. The proposed taxation will ruin the poor labourers and the small traders.”

Mr Bajwa said the salaried class, labourers and small traders were already facing a starvation-like situation owing to price-hike and recession in the country.

He said that common people were finding it difficult to pay their utility bills on time. The federal and provincial governments had time and again increased the ratio of their levies besides increasing the price of gas, electricity and petrol.

“The proposed taxation of the city tehsil administration will serve no cause,” he added.

He said there was a consensus among the small traders that they could not be able to pay the proposed taxes. Therefore, there would be no other option but to challenge the proposed taxation in a court of law and launch a protest campaign against the city tehsil administration.

Fearing that the district and union councils would also impose more taxes, Mr Bajwa said: “we will not be able to pay all levies even if we give all our income to various tiers of tax collection.”

He urged the residents of Multan in general and business community in particular not to hesitate in filing objections to the proposed taxation.

He also urged the Punjab governor and Multan District Nazim to intervene and direct the city administration to act wisely.

RALLY: Participants in a rally held before the Multan Press Club on Tuesday urged both Pakistan and India to take care of their respective economies.