Protest: Cantt traders refuse to pay tax to Punjab govt

RAWALPINDI:

Rawalpindi cantonment traders have protested against the Punjab government imposing taxes on them, which they are already paying to the cantonment board.

Talking to Daily Express on Tuesday, cantt traders said Punjab Excise and Taxation Department was issuing notifications to cantt traders to pay professional tax. They said the Punjab government had no authority to collect taxes from cantt areas. They said professional tax should be collected from service providers and government contractors, not small traders.

Markazi Anjuman Tajran Rawalpindi Cantt president Sheikh Hafeez Ahmad said the issue of taxes in cantonment areas has been pending with the law ministry for years. Traders said they would hold protest demonstration if the excise and taxation department did not stop sending notifications to traders.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 16^th,  2015.