The protestation and strike of crushed-stone suppliers and the transport owners have entered the second week against the imposition of excise duty.
They said the multiple taxation system of the government is yielding negative impact on uplift schemes of roads, housing colonies, etc, adding between Chiniot and Sargodha various hills, including Pull-111 are the biggest crushed stone market of Pakistan. There are more than nine leaseholders of stone excavation; about 1,500 stone crushers and 300 goods transport agencies.
Talking to media persons, who visited the area, Stone Suppliers Association President Chaudhry Pervez Masood Bajwa and Truck & Tractor Trollies Owners Association General Secretary Mushtaz Ahmad Gill said that as per a recent notification issued by the Mine Department, the stone mine leaseholders were liable to pay Rs 5 per ton as excise duty to the government from November 8, 2005. They said the duty was being allegedly collected from trucks and loaders instead of mine leaseholders through a private company.