Apparel Forum asks govt to address tax refunds issue

Karachi
Pakistan Apparel Forum Chairman Muhammad Jawed Bilwani has said huge amount of exporters’ liquidity of almost Rs50 billion has been stuck up in the government of Sales Tax Refund Claims; Customs Rebate Claims and DLTL Claims causing great sufferings to the already harassed and burdened exporters who are now at a loss to understand how to make both ends meet and such an alarming situation will ruin the export business of the Value Added Textile Exporters.
It has been the practice of FBR to put 25pc amount of Sales Tax Refund Claims of the exporters deferred and they are so used to such wrong practice that even the amount of Sales Tax paid on Utility Bills are being deferred which is not at all understood and really surprising.
He said that in the last two decades, there was never such hardship caused to the Value Added Textile Exporters, adding that he was surprised at the strange attitude and cold shouldering of FBR because the higher ups do not even want to meet the major and important stakeholders to listen to their genuine problems, who are the highest taxpayers.
It seems that the FBR intentionally bent upon harassing the genuine exporters.
FBR shows that great targets are achieved while such huge amounts of genuine exporters liquidity is purposely held up by the FBR, he added. He said that business community felt that the PML (N) government was business friendly but in view of the difficulties faced by the exporters, it looks like they were out to crush the exports of the nation.  
 He said that the harassed and burdened exporters who are otherwise required to maintain their hold in the global market; prepare marketing strategy and keep up with the innovative trends, running from pillar to post for their held up liquidity. Bilwani stated that large number of exporters have been complaining of huge amount of outstanding Sales Tax Refund Claims and Customs Rebate Claims making, thus it’s impossible for them to run their factories and businesses and cater to their foreign buyers needs.

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