16 percent GST on agriculture inputs: farmers threaten to stage sits-in on June 23

Different farmers' organisations have threatened to stage sits-in on June 23 at all the district headquarters against government decision to impose 16 percent General Sales Tax (GST) on agricultural inputs. This was announced at a joint meeting of the Kisan Board Pakistan (KBP), Farmers Associates Pakistan (FAP), Anjuman-e-Kashtkaran Punjab and Aiwan-e-Zaraat Punjab. Central President of the KBP Sardar Hussein Khan chaired the meeting.
The meeting was also attended by Dr Tariq Bucha, Taqweem Ahsen, Chaudhry Muhammad Abdullah and Malik Muhammad Ramzan Rohari, said KBP Secretary Information Haji Muhammad Ramzan here Tuesday. The meeting demanded of the government to immediately withdraw GST on agricultural inputs as it would put an additional burden of Rs 60 billion on the growers. They observed that farmers were already under heavy burden of taxes, and are not in a position to bear further. They claimed that rural population of the country was already leading a life under poverty line.
'The government should immediately withdraw the decision of levying GST on agricultural inputs, otherwise growers' organisations would stage a protest on June 23, 2011 and stage sit-ins at all the district headquarters to press the government for acceptance of this demand of the farmers,' the meeting added. Representatives of the farmers attending the meeting also announced to launch a mass contact campaign during these protest demonstrations.