MULTAN-Qaumi Tajir Ittehad (QTI) rejected on Tuesday government’s taxation policies and warned that the traders would not abide by the NIC binding imposed by the regime, adding that they would encircle Bani Gala and stage a sit in outside Imran Khan’s residence for indefinite period if the tax policy was not revised.
Chairing a meeting of the traders, the QTI leaders Sultan Mahmood Malik, Iqbal Javed, Maqbool Khokhar and others said that imposition of new taxes was a great injustice. “The government should explain to us that which benefits it is going to give us against these new taxes,” they raised a question. They said that small trader was paying taxes to the provincial and federal governments for the last 70 years while on the other hand industrialists, capitalists and landlords enjoyed all out national resources while refusing to pay any tax. They maintained that every new government subjected small traders to sheer injustice and no one ever thought of giving them protection.
They said that the taxation policy of the government completely ruined business and trading activity across the country. They added that the industries were shut down by the owners which resulted into joblessness of hundreds of thousands of labourers. “We have an offer for the government. Come and take over our businesses. Employ us as workers and pay us salaries. We’ll be happy on this,” they declared.
They warned that the traders from across the country had been consulted for future line of action and a country-wide shutter down call for an indefinite period would be given if the demands were not accepted. They added that if the FBR officials attempted to force the traders to accept their orders, the government would be responsible for the law and order situation.
TEACHERS TO GO ON
STRIKE FROM AUG 1ST
The teachers associations are going to launch a province-wide protest drive from August 1 against government’s decision to give educational institutions under the supervision of local governments. The Punjab Teachers Union (PTU) Multan chapter declared on Tuesday that protest rallies, demonstrations and sit in camps would be staged during the drive.
The PTU office bearers Rana Altaf Hussain, Tahir Warraich, Malik Abdul Ghaffar and others said that the teachers would bring out a big rally from Nawan Shehr Chowk and march up to Multan press club.
They added that the teachers from across Multan district would participate in the rally. They warned that the teachers would not hesitate from resisting any act on part of government to oppress the teachers.
Meanwhile, different factions of PTU formed a joint action committee to chalk out line of action for launching a successful protest drive. Speaking on this occasion, Chairman of the committee Rana Altaf said that the teachers were fully prepared to resist government’s ill-advised decision to handover educational institutions to illiterate local government representatives. He added that the teachers would be forced to launch a long march towards Punjab Assembly. He asked the government to withdraw its decision.