NWFP government asked for taxes waiver

The NWFP government is asked to waive provincial taxes as a relief to business community of the province in the prevailing circumstances when commercial activity has reached to a halt due to current wave of insurgency and terrorism.
"The NWFP government, while realising the suffering of business community of the province, should announce to waive off provincial taxes as a mark of relief for the industrialists and trading community," observed Sajjad Ahmad, Director Khyber Lamps Group of Industries, pioneer and leading industrialist in lamp industry of the country.
Talking to APP here on Wednesday, Sajjad Ahmad said the provincial government is demanding from center to provide relief to business community of the province in taxes and bank loans by declaring NWFP as 'War affected Zone'. He said the prevailing circumstances in the province have badly damaged commercial activity and if relief was not provided to the businessmen, it will become impossible for them to continue business.
He said the recent wave of bomb blasts and law and order situation has brought the trading activity to a serious halt and businessmen are even become unable to make their both ends meet. In such circumstances, it has become impossible for businessmen, both industrialist and traders, to pay taxes and governments, both provincial and federal, should provide relief to them. Sajjad Ahmad also demanded of the NWFP government to provide rebate of 25 percent on electricity charges to industrial units set up in the province during the period from July 1, 2005 to June 30, 2008. The incentive, he added, was announced by MMA government during its 'Industrial Policy', but the implementation is still awaited. The decision was taken to woo investors for setting up of industrial units in NWFP so that employment is provided to labour besides generation of commercial activity in the region, he added. But none of them have availed the facility announced by the government and were now visiting different offices to make their claims.
"Delay in implementation of government's policies causes mistrust among the industrialists," he observed. Furthermore, Sajjad continued, NWFP is far away from seaport and in fact an unattractive location for industrialists and therefore the provincial government should announce further incentives for investors besides ensuring implementation of all the previous announcements made in regard with attracting industrialists.