PESHAWAR: The Peshawar industrialist association on Tuesday rejected the government move to reintroduce Octroi [‘Mahsul Chungi’] – a tax on various goods brought into a town – to be collected on entry points to cities and towns across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The Industrialist demanded the government to immediately withdrawn the decision as it will put more burden on the militancy and pandemic affected industrialist of the province.
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Addressing a news conference at Hayatabad Industrialist Estate, the president of Industrialists Association Peshawar (IAP), Malik Imran Ishaq strongly rejected the government’s decision of re-imposition of Octroi, which was unacceptable to them. “This old and primitive system is a reflection of anti-industrialists policies of the government,” Malik Ishaq said. He said that the system was abolished by previous governments it has numerous drawbacks.
He informed the FBR is collecting 3 per cent sale tax on the same head, so it would be double taxation as well, while all provinces were also recovering revenue, collected through the same tax from the center. He lamented that said that the industrial sector has adversely affected by terrorism, followed by the novel coronavirus pandemic, which is yet not fully revived. So, he added, the imposition of the ‘Mahsul Ghungi’ system would be completely unjust and unfair.
He said the government’s decision has created unrest among the industrialists. He urged the government to utilize alternative resources for enhancement of provincial revenue instead of restoring the ‘Mahsul Chungi’ system. The association president also asked the provincial government to avoid taking any such steps, which would cause closure of industries.
The business community urged the government to adopt business-friendly policies in order to give relief to Covid-19 hit industries and businesses. He warned that industrialists will be compelled to take harsh steps and strongly agitate as well as approach the court, if the government restored ‘Mahsul Chungi’ system.
