ISLAMABAD, April 13: The federal government is considering reducing the rate of withholding tax on poultry from the current 1.25 per cent to 0.75 per cent, official sources told Dawn on Saturday.

The decision is likely to be announced in the next financial year’s budget.

The officials said they had not yet received any list of medicines from the Pakistan Poultry Association (PPA) to be considered for exemption from 15 per cent GST.

The decision was believed to have been taken following a meeting between Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz and a six-member PPA delegation.

The PPA has assured of their full support in the forthcoming referendum after they were promised these incentives, the inside sources claimed.

The delegation told the finance minister that the poultry industry was facing hurdles in export of poultry items to Afghanistan.