Pakistan Industrial and Traders Associations Front (PIAF) has urged the government to put off its decision to seek NA approval for Reformed General Sales Tax (RGST) and focus on enhancing the tax base by bringing agriculture and services sectors into the tax net.
The PIAF Chairman Irfan Qaiser Sheikh in a statement on Monday said that forced implementation of RGST would defame the government instead of creating any goodwill. "It is not possible to generate revenue through coercive means. The government should take onboard all the stakeholders for implementation of any new tax measure, he said.
In the recent past, business community had utilised its all resources for the help of flood victims and also supplementing the government efforts for their rehabilitation. He said that instead of recognising the service of business community government was using its all for the implementation of RGST that is bound to create more troubles for business doing people.
The government has not bothered to consult with the real stakeholders, he said and added the implementation of RGST would break the backbone of the common man and would also mangle the industrial sector. It would be wiser on the part of the government to think about enhancing the tax base, which was the only solution of economic intricacy. In the present economic scenario, the businessmen could not afford any new tax system, he maintained.
Irfan Qaiser Shaikh further said that that Reformed General Sales Tax (RGST) would aggravate the melancholy of the industry that was already on the edge of destruction due to prolonged gas load shedding. He urged the government to enhance the tax base and bring agriculture sector, and services sectors into the tax net.