Tribal industries seek urgent tax relief

Industrialists warn taxes pushing factories toward collapse

PESHAWAR:

Industrialists from the merged tribal districts have called for the fulfillment of promises made at the time of FATA's merger with Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, demanding urgent tax relief in the upcoming federal budget to save local industries from collapse.

Speaking at a press conference at the Peshawar Press Club on Wednesday, prominent industrialist and FATA Industries leader Khalid Khan Afridi, along with leaders from various chambers of commerce, demanded that the 10 per cent sales tax imposed on industries in the merged districts be immediately reduced to four per cent. They also called for exemptions and relief in income tax.

The press conference was attended by Haji Amjad Khan of the Mohmand Chamber of Commerce, Haji Lali Shah of the Bajaur Chamber of Commerce, Inamullah Khan of the Malakand Chamber of Commerce, Engineer Arsalan Khan, and Shahzad Arif.

"Our industry is currently standing on the brink of destruction. On one side there is terrorism, and on the other, the government continues to impose new taxes every day. No one is thinking about providing relief to ex-FATA and ex-PATA industries," Afridi said.

He stressed that given the current dire conditions and devastated state of industry in the merged districts, the federal government should immediately reduce the sales tax from 10 per cent to four per cent and provide relief in income tax.

Afridi appealed directly to Prime Minister, Finance Minister, and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir to sit with them, give them time, and listen to their proposals. He highlighted that for the past eight months, all industries in FATA have been shut down due to the closure of the Pak-Afghan border, leaving thousands of workers unemployed.

"These workers do not even know the way to Islamabad to raise their voice for their rights, while the business community is facing severe difficulties due to the closure of industries," he added.