President, Kisan Board Pakistan (KBP), Sardar Zafar Hussain Khan strongly condemned the statement of Prime Minister's Advisor for Finance Shoukat Tarin in which he has stated that agriculture sector would be brought under the tax net. In a statement issued here on Thursday, he said that agricultural GDP contribution in national economy was going down every year and the growers were deep into the quagmire of poverty.
Food shortage was being faced and the number of those living below the poverty line was registering rapid increase. The very thought of levying tax on agriculturists, who were already faced with numerous hardships and financial difficulties, was simply absurd.
Sardar Zafar said that on one hand the government was giving subsidies on fertilisers, green tractors and other items and on the other hand it was talking of taxing agriculture, which in itself was an example of maintaining double standards.
Zafar stated that it was tantamount to draining out the last blood drop from the already sick body of the farmers. He demanded revive subsidy on all agricultural inputs, including fertilisers, seeds, agri-implements, power & diesel etc and warned that if it were not done, it would have put devastating effects over the agricultural sector. President KBP said that if these demands were not met, the Board would carry out country-wide protest.
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