Aurangzeb offers talks to avert July 19 strike

KARACHI:

The federal government on Monday invited representatives of all trade bodies for talks after Karachi's business community and transporters announced a countrywide wheel-jam strike on July 19 in protest against certain budgetary measures introduced through the Finance

Act 2025.

Speaking at the Overseas Investors Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OICCI) in Karachi, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb invited all chambers of commerce and trade associations on Tuesday (today) to discuss their concerns over the Finance Act.

The minister's talks offer came after Goods Carrier Association head Malik Shahzad Awan and Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) President Javed Bilwani addressed a joint press conference regarding the strike call for July 19.

"All transporters will participate in the KCCI's strike on July 19. The wheel jam strike will continue until the KCCI's demands are met. We are also prepared for a longer duration strike," Malik Shahzad Awan told the media persons.

The KCCI called the strike against "five key measures" incorporated in the federal budget for the current fiscal year and 32 anomalies in the Finance Act. At the joint press conference, Bilwani made it clear that unless the government put all these measures in abeyance, there would be a strike on July 19.

The KCCI opposes Sections 37A and 37B of the Finance Act, which it claims, empowers the FBR with arbitrary arrest powers; Section 21(S), that imposes harsh penalties on cash transactions of Rs200,000 or above; mandatory digital invoicing under SRO 709; and the imposition of E-Bilty under Section 40©.

At the OICCI, the finance minister said that he would listen to the position of all the chambers and associations and also explain his position. "All chambers should come after reading the current law. We have put many safeguards in the law against sales tax fraud and other issues," he said.

Aurangzeb dismissed the criticism as "propaganda" regarding the enhanced powers granted to the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), which, he said, aimed to counter large-scale sales tax fraud. He said that the additional powers apply to cases of over Rs50 million tax evasion and not on ordinary businesses.

"The new legal tools have been implemented solely to prevent fraudulent activity related to sales tax," Aurangzeb said. "An important meeting with presidents of chambers will be held tomorrow [today]. The government will explain the scope and intent of the FBR's actions to business leaders," he said.

Earlier, Biliwani, the KCCI president, insisted on the demand for the immediate withdrawal of the "controversial" Sections of the Finance Act. He also called for the restoration of the Final Tax Regime for exporters.

Bilwani revealed that the KCCI was being approached by the Finance Ministry, and while other efforts were being made to resolve the issues through dialogue, but added that there had been no official assurance or notification to suspend the controversial measures.

"The KCCI has requested the government to hold these matters in abeyance until a mutually beneficial and constructive solution is found," he said, warning that the strike would "not be postponed until and unless these demands are fully accepted".

Responding to a query, Bilwani stressed that the entire business community was fully united and KCCI continued "to receive overwhelming support" from across the country. "More than 50 formal letters have been received from various business associations, reaffirming their solidarity with the KCCI."