Peshawar  -  The president of the Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Fazal Moqeem Khan, has demanded an uninterrupted supply of electricity and gas to businesses and industries, the abolition of the 2 percent cess on exports, and the immediate elimination of double and unjust taxes.

He made these demands during a meeting with Deputy Commissioner Peshawar Capt (R) Sarmad Saleem at the DC office, while leading a delegation of businessmen. The delegation consisted of SCCI cabinet members Jalil Jan, Shehryar Khan, former president of the chamber Haji Afzal, executive committee members, former office bearers, and a number of traders and shopkeepers associated with various businesses.

The traders’ community’s concerns regarding unannounced electricity and gas load-shedding, the imposition of the 2 percent provincial cess on exports, the enforcement of entry and exit taxes on goods-laden vehicles, the collection of property and warehouse taxes by the Excise and Taxation Department, traffic congestion, and the mushroom growth of car parking lots in the city were conveyed during the meeting. Additionally, difficulties in the entry of long containers into the industrial estate in Hayatabad due to road closures were also raised.

The meeting was attended by Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP-Operations) Kashif Zulfiqar and relevant officials from the town committee.

Chamber President Fazal Moqeem emphasized the need for pragmatic steps to promptly resolve all issues. He stated that the business community is willing to pay all legitimate taxes but finds unjust and additional taxes unacceptable.

The DC listened to the traders’ concerns attentively and assured them that their problems would be quickly resolved by effectively addressing them with the relevant authorities. The officials stated that the government and administration are taking proactive measures to ease the process of doing business.

However, they stressed the need for regular meetings and coordination between the administration and the business community to promptly address all their issues.

Earlier, a meeting between the SCCI president and the DC Peshawar was held to discuss traffic congestion, the growing number of parking lots, and other related issues in the city.

The meeting, which was also attended by traffic officials, concluded with the decision to implement a comprehensive roadmap soon to address the growing traffic problems in the city.