Pakistan Muttahida Kisan Mahaz (PMKM) strongly criticising imposition of 3.5 percent withholding tax on agricultural produce has announced to launch a movement against it. PMKM Chief, Muhammad Ayub Khan Mayo addressing a press conference on Thursday said that farmers would not pay any such tax, which had been imposed without taking any segment of the society into confidence.
He said imposition of this tax on agricultural produce would increase the burden on consumers and push the price spiral upward. Mayo was of the view that the government after failing in imposition of Reformed General Sales Tax (RGST) took the step of imposing tax on agricultural produce, which would result in increase of prices of vegetables and fruits.
He said this tax had been imposed to meet the conditions of the IMF and World Bank and to pay the instalment of the loan. He claimed that the government intended to collect Rs 93 billion from levy of this withholding tax. The PMKM chief suggested that government should reduce expenditures on its cabinet and other non-development expenses. He claimed that corruption was also rampant in the government institutions and rulers were adopting policies of the IMF and World Bank, which could not deliver any good to the masses.
Mayo said that his party would seek co-operation from public representatives, civil society and all segments of the society to formulate a future line of action and launch a movement against the government.