Business community has urged the government to reduce the rates of sales tax, withholding tax and other taxes in upcoming budget. Speaking a pre-budget seminar organised by the Hyderabad Chamber of commerce and Industry with collaboration of Institute of Cost Management Accounts Pakistan (ICMA), here on Sunday, President of Karachi of Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), Iftikhar Vohra said that the rates of taxes in Pakistan were increasing with the passage of time and even they are higher as compared to other countries.
"Despite paying all taxes, the problems of business community are neither being resolved, nor any official from the Ministry of Finance and the FBR co-operates with them in addressing their issues," he said.
"We are paying sales taxes, withholding taxes and additional sales taxes honestly but the Finance Minister is not ready to give us time for discussing the issues being faced by the business community," Vohra lamented.
The FBR and other related department officials are harassing the businessmen over the petty issues, he criticised and urged the government to take disciplinary actions against such officials.
In spite of energy crisis in the country, more than 70 per cent of total revenue is being generated from Sindh, but unfortunately the community in the province is being deprived of their due facilities and benefits, he observed.
President HCCI, Goharullah said that the business community's proposals should be included in the upcoming budget so that their problems could be resolved.
Senior Vice President HCCI, Turab Ali Khawaja suggested that non-taxpayers be brought into tax net rather than increasing rates of taxes.
He further said that the existing audit systems should be improved and the FBR officials should be stopped from harassing the business community.
He said that the income from agriculture sector should be brought to tax net to achieve the revenue targets.
Vice President FPCCI and Sindh region In-charge Muhammad Akram Rajput, Chairman KBC, Khalid Mahmood and Attuallah Abdul Rashid also spoke on the occasion.
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