Govt urged to take traders into confidence

RAWALPINDI (APP) - President Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI), Kashif Shabbir on Wednesday asked the government to take businessmen in to confidence before imposing the new value added tax system.
Addressing the RCCI Standing Committee he also urged the government to apply uniform business policies across the country. He said greater amount of import duty is imposed on the old auto spare parts arriving at Islamabad Dry Port compared to the Lahore and Karachi ports, which is hurting the local traders.
Kashif has appealed to the Member Customs, Federal Board of Revenue to take notice of this discrepancy and resolve this problem being faced by businessmen of the region.
He said RCCI has been introducing Pakistani products in the international markets and added, a RCCI delegation would leave for Turkey on February 11, on a four-day visit to display Pakistani products at an exhibition.
He said the businessmen could not achieve desired results without the governments cooperation and urged the government to fully facilitate the importers and exporters so they could take part in countrys socio-economic development. Speaking on the occasion Chairman Standing Committee of RCCI Asim Malik said that the new value added tax system should be made easier to understand and the traders should be taken into confidence before imposing it from July 1. He urged the government to take steps for checking auto spare parts smuggling to save the local industry from total collapse. He said Afghan transit trade was also damaging the local industry as well as the national exchequer. The meeting was also attended by Senior Vice President, Syed Ali Raza Saeed Shah, Vice President Khawaja Rashid Wain and trade representatives.