Pakistan Beverages Association (PBA) has alleged collection of illegal tax by the Regional Tax Office (RTO) Peshawar and demanded immediate stoppage of the practice to prevent rendering hundreds of youth unemployed. Addressing a news conference, President, Pakistan Beverages Association, Wisal Mohammad alleged that Intelligence and Investigation (I&I) wing of the RTO Peshawar has started the collection from the beverage loaded vehicles.
Flanked by several other members of the association, he said that though payment of Federal Excise Duty (FED) is the responsibility of the factory owners, but the armed personnel of the agency enter the market and take loaded trucks into their possession and force the shopkeepers and traders to pay heavy tax for release. He said that the personnel of FBR demand invoice, which the factory only gives to distributors, which don't pass them over to shopkeepers. He said that the payment of the FED is the responsibility of factory owners, then why are demanding it from the ordinary shopkeepers.
He said that invoice is issued to distributors, which purchase about 50,000 cartons, which is never issued to ordinary whole seller of 10,000 cartons. Furthermore, he said that beside Punjab, they also purchase the commodity on discount rate from Peshawar. He demanded of FBR to clarify that if the issue is related to tax then why it is limited to only Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He warned that in case of failure in the resolution of the problem they will boycott the selling of the products of Pepsi Cola International (PCI) in the province.