Brick kiln owners protest against GST

Announce to suspend supply from August 1.

ISLAMABAD:

The All Pakistan Brick Kilns Owners’ Association (APBKOA) held a protest against the imposition of 16 per cent general sales tax (GST) on Saturday and threatened to suspend the supply of bricks from August 1 if the decision was not withheld.

The protest was attended by hundreds of brick kiln owners, who chanted slogans against the government. A rally was also organised by the association, which started at the National Press Club and ended in front of the D-Chowk.

APBKOA President Shoaib Khan Niazi said there were more than 18,000 brick kilns across the country with over 2.2 million employees, who had been severely affected by the imposition of GST.

“We have decided to shut down the kilns and continue the strike until the tax is withdrawn,” he said. He said the owners had no other option, as they could not afford to pay the taxes. “The consumers cannot bear the burden either as they too are suffering from inflation and poverty,” he added.

“The government has taken the decision without consulting the association. It has completely ignored our perspective. It is unfortunate that the government has failed to deliver to the people despite huge claims by top government officials,” he remarked.

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa BKOA President Sattar Khan also spoke on the occasion where he said that the industry was already facing numerous challenges, and the imposition of GST would further increase the burden on them. He said currently the bricks are sold at Rs4,000 per 1,000 bricks. However, after the imposition of GST the price would increase to Rs4,700, which was unfair to both the kiln owners as well as consumers.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 31^th,  2011.