Lahore - The All Pakistan Anjuman-i-Tajiran, in a meeting which was also attended by several other trade bodies from all over the country, has announced to besiege the FBR regional offices all across Pakistan on 18 August 2015 in protest of imposition of 0.3 per cent withholding tax (WHT) on banking transactions by the Federal government.
The central leaders of the advisory meeting of the APAT decided to also besiege the FBR headquarters in Islamabad on 21st August while the traders will stop transactions through banks on 25TH August.
All Pakistan Anjuman-i-Tajiran president Ajmal Baloch, APAT chairman Khawaja Shafiq, central general secretary Naeem Mir, Punjab president Mehboob Sirki, APAT Sindh president Adul Qayyum Qureshi, APAT Balochistan president Abdul Rahim Kakar, KPK President Haji Halim Jan, AJK president Adul Razzaq, All Karachi Tajir Ittehad president Jamil Paracha, APAT Lahore president Agha Adnan, Qaumi Tajir Ittehad Pakistan president Sheikh Mushtaq also attended the meeting. APAT presidents from Bahawalpur, Multan, Kherpur, Sheikhupura, Lodhran, Bahawalnagar, Qasur, Chinyot, Liaqatpur, Muzaffargarh, Sahiwal, Bannu, Okara, Pishawar, Tank and several other cities where also invited to finalize the future strategy against WHT on banking transaction.
The participants of the meeting said that government should collect tax after consultation with the stakeholders, saying they cannot afford to pay direct tax to the govt.
All Pakistan Anjuman-i-Tajiran central general secretary Naeem Mir said that government is working on the agenda of IMF. It is not aimed at documentation of economy rather it is a daylight dacoity on hard earned money of public because it is being implemented on transactions of each and ever person just to achieve revenue target.
Kh Shafiq said that government claim is this WHT is only for non-filers but tax is deducted on cash withdrawal of filers too. Traders will not sit on the table for dialogues with the government until complete removal of the tax on all banking transactions, he warned.