Out on streets: Protest held against new tax

LAHORE: Hundreds of property dealers staged a demonstration outside Lahore Press Club on Saturday to protest against a new tax. The protesters marched from DHA and then staged the demonstration outside the press club, blocking the busy intersection for all kinds of traffic. They were carrying placards showing their demands.

The protesters said that the government had imposed a major tax on the real estate sector without consulting its representatives. “The real estate sector has grown a lot during the past decade. The government’s decision to raise the tax on the sale and purchase of plots will discourage people from investing in it,” said DHA Dealers’ Association president Rafiq Hasrat. He said that the government should have raised the tax gradually. “The governments earns approximately Rs23 billion annually from taxes levied on property transfer in DHA alone. It should not try to discourage such a sector,” he said. Hasrat said that the government should repeal the tax. “If the decision is not taken back, we will launch a country-wide protest movement against the government,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 17^th, 2016.