With reference to a letter on the above subject, published in your esteemed paper on 27/06/06, it is a fact that the wholesalers are in a miserable position and they are at a loss to understand what to do. I am also a sufferer because of the government's unrealistic policies.
In 2004, I had a staff of 26 persons and now because of the shrinking wholesale business I have only six persons. I never intended this situation but I am constrained to do so because nobody listens to us. There are thousands of wholesalers who are earning 5/7 lakhs annually, how can they afford a salary of Rs 40,000 per month to fulfil the requirements of documentation of the government because of the compounded sales tax on everything. A beef plate of curry with 2 roti 5/7 years ago was available for Rs 5 which now costs Rs 25 to Rs 28.
This can be confirmed from the Burns Road shops.
In fact, nobody bothers about the deteriorating volume of the businesses of wholesalers and there is not a single word about the discrimination between 2 business houses from the press reporters (in the budget press conference), because most probably they do not understand the horrible consequences of this discrimination.
Every facility is for the retailers because they have shutter power and the government is quite conscious of it and it hardly makes any difference to them if thousands of people become jobless, because of forced documentation policies for small/medium wholesellers.
President Pervez Musharraf has done a lot of good things for the country which everybody realises and I think he should intervene in the harsh policies of the Ministry of Finance towards the wholesellers so that they can also play a positive role in the development of the country and that the fruit of his achievements are not washed away. As you know the expansion of the wholesale business is only possible if the policies of the government are liberal/suitable to wholesalers. Otherwise, I am afraid we will never achieve the target of reducing poverty.