RAWALPINDI -All Pakistan Chambers of Commerce unanimously rejected the Federal Board of Revenue’s new SRO 351(1)2014 while terming it a “black law” and gave government 10 days deadline to withdraw the said SRO. Otherwise, business community has the right to opt for any level of agitation and government would be responsible for that.
Addressing a press conference at a local hotel on Thursday, the host Dr Shimail Daud Arain, President Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI), said that giving all the powers to a single person under said SRO would create element of harassment, corruption and biasness. He said that government should overcome the faults of prevailing system. There was no need to establish a new one but to take solid steps to build the confidence of the business community.
Dr Shimail said that even in a dictator’s era business friendly policies were introduced and now in a democratically elected regime businessmen community was facing black laws like SRO 351. He said that business community was united and there was no difference of opinion in the community from Khyber to Mehran. “All the chambers of the country are on the same page on the issue of said SRO and if the demand of withdrawal of the SRO was not accepted we will give government a tough time”, he added.
President RCCI said that business community on many forums had suggested the government to broadening of tax base but not a single effort has been made in this regard yet. He was of the view that government’s main objective was to further press those taxpayers who were already paying taxes, saying that it was not acceptable at all.
He said that in spite of bring other sectors into tax net government was trying to achieve the tax collection target by imposing taxes on the existing taxpayers.
President Rawalpindi Chamber said that federal minister for commerce Khurrram Dastagir on his visit to RCCI vowed to eliminate SRO culture but the birth of this new SRO has generated restlessness and sense of insecurity among the business community while tax evaders were enjoying the situation. He was of the view that through such steps government would lose its expected tax collection. He further said that the SRO 351 (I) 2014 would not only multiply to problems of business community but it would also open up the floodgates of corruption because of the repeated intervention of government agencies in the smooth running of businesses. Dr Shimail said that the shortage of electricity and gas had already pushed the businesses to the wall and they were striving for their survival. Therefore, such measures were bound to give a bad name to the govt.
At this point in time when both the private sector and the government were putting in their best efforts to attract foreign investment in the country, the SRO 351 (I) 2014 would hit hard these measures.
At the end he briefed the media about constitutional aspects of the SRO 351(1) 2014 in which all the powers of Chief Commissioners were given to the Director General Intelligence & Investigation and he can appoint anyone to raid, or check any documents, bank accounts and other documents which create an element of harassment among the business community.
Meeting was attending by the representatives of Lahore, Khyber Pakhtookhwa, Haripur, Islamabad, Gujrat, Sheikhupura, Jhelum, Chakwal, Sargodha Chambers and representatives of trade associations of the City & Cantt were also present.