Tax relief sought for small shopkeepers

ICCI president says lockdown has dealt blow to traders

ISLAMABAD:

The lockdown imposed to combat Covid-19 has triggered recession in business activities besides dealing a blow to small traders due to which they are facing multiple problems, said Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) President Sardar Yasir Ilyas Khan.

Talking to the Traders Welfare Association on Wednesday, he stressed the need that the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) should provide tax relief for small shopkeepers in order to resolve their problems.

“During lockdown, the business community did not lay off employees and continued to pay them out of its own pocket, which aggravated its problems,” he said. “Businesses have not yet returned to normal conditions.”

He demanded that the government consider announcing additional relief packages for the business community instead of creating problems for them. He pointed out that businesses were strictly adhering to the standard operating procedures (SOPs) issued by the district administration but customers were not following them due to which shops were being sealed and shopkeepers were suffering.

“In view of the current difficult business conditions, the FBR should provide tax relief for traders, simplify tax forms, accept last year’s tax returns and review the SROs issued after announcement of the construction package,” he said. “These SROs reduce the usefulness of the package introduced by the prime minister.”

Traders Welfare Association President Asad Aziz and Secretary-General Abdul Rehman Siddiqui said businesses hit by the lockdown had not yet recovered while shops were being sealed in the name of SOP violation.

They said such tactics of the district administration were hindering the business activities. They demanded that the administration refrain from harassing traders unnecessarily so that they could focus on promoting the business activities.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 15^th, 2020.

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