MANSEHRA: Traders on Tuesday said they’re so overtaxed that they won’t pay the newly-imposed signboard tax.

“We’re already paying several taxes, so the Rs5,000-Rs15,000 annual tax imposed by the tehsil municipal administration on the signboards installed on shops and business centres is unacceptable. We’ll resist it and even close shops if it’s not withdrawn,” trader body president Haroonur Rasheed told a meeting here.

He chaired the meeting, which was attended by traders and discussed the signboard tax.

“Traders are still reeling from the crisis caused by Covid-19 pandemic, especially record inflation, so new taxes aren’t acceptable and will be strongly resisted,” he said.

Threaten strike, street protests against TMA

Mr Rasheed said the traders had decided to go on strike and launch street protests if the TMA didn’t withdraw the signboard tax.

General secretary of the association Mohammad Hanif said the TMA officials went from shop to shop to collect signboard tax, but no trader paid it.

“We [traders] want the TMA to immediately withdraw that tax otherwise a complete shutter-down strike will be observed across the region,” he said.

Chairman of the trader body Fayyaz Solaria urged the tehsil nazim to intervene and announce the immediate withdrawal of that tax.

He said though a local government was in place, not a single scheme for the traders’ welfare had been initiated.

ENCROACHMENTS: Authorities on Tuesday launched an anti-encroachment campaign in Mansehra city and its suburbs.

A joint team of the tehsil administration and tehsil municipal administration led by assistant commissioner (revenue) Ali Imtiaz Khan removed encroachments both concrete and temporary from Zafar Road, Kashmir Road and Abbottabad Road, and shifted those goods to the TMA warehouse.

It also took away handcarts hampering smooth flow of traffic.

“We have launched this operation on people’s complaints and removed encroachments,” he said.

Mr Khan said the administration had evolved a strategy to ensure smooth vehicular traffic, and anti-encroachment operation was part of it.

He said the crackdown would be extended to other parts of Mansehra city and its suburbs to ensure smooth flow of traffic.

The assistant commissioner said the traders were told to do away with encroachments outside shops and business centres themselves to prevent action.

Published in Dawn, November 30th, 2022