Cashless rule sparks concern among traders

Punjab Revenue Authority mandates QR codes for service businesses

RAWALPINDI:

The Punjab Revenue Authority (PRA) has banned cash payments at beauty parlours, salons, barber shops, hotels and restaurants, directing all such establishments to obtain QR codes from the State Bank of Pakistan and display them prominently on their premises.

The move has been described as a major step towards digitising the provincial economy. The PRA has warned that failure to comply will result in legal action, including fines.

According to the authority, the initiative has been introduced in coordination with the federal and provincial governments, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and the provincial finance department. All affected businesses are required to shift to QR-code-based payments by the end of the current week.

However, industry associations have rejected the immediate enforcement of the ban. Chaudhry Farooq, President of the Hotels, Restaurants and Bakers Association, said that while establishments would install QR codes, many customers — including families and daily-wage earners — do not have Easypaisa or JazzCash accounts. He urged that the policy be implemented in phases and that both digital and cash payment systems be allowed to operate concurrently for six months.

Beauty Parlours Union Secretary Nausheen said that many clients are homemakers without bank or mobile wallet accounts and should not be inconvenienced by abrupt enforcement.

Representatives of the Barbers’ Union, Riyaz Ahmed and Shafiq Khan, said that barbers primarily serve daily-wage labourers and students with limited means.