LAHORE - All Pakistan Customs Agents Association (APCAA) and All Pakistan Dry Ports Association (APDPA) members staged a strong protest demonstration on Wednesday against levy of Infrastructure Development Cess in Punjab.

The demonstration was participated by a large number of members of both the organisations and their office bearers. The protestors urged Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) chairman to press the provincial government to immediately withdraw the infrastructure development cess.Later, while addressing a press conference at the Lahore Press Club (LPC), All Pakistan Customs Agents Association Chairman Muhammad Amjad Chaudhry said that imposition of this cess had resulted in double taxation on clearance of imported goods.

He alleged that importers of Lahore and other parts of the province had stopped getting their goods cleared at dry ports in Lahore and other parts of Punjab leading to unemployment of thousands of clearing agents and their employees.

He said that importers had to pay at two stages first in Sindh at landing of goods and then in Lahore or other ports at the time of clearance of the consignment, which had forced the importers to stop hiring services of clearing agents in Lahore and other parts.