Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FCCI) on Thursday urged caretaker prime minister former Justice Mir Hazar Khan Khoso to withdraw controversial SROs. In a letter, Zahid Aslam, President of FCCI said the FBR was responsible for non-consultation with stakeholders before imposing any SRO.
He said the introduction of SROs has left the businesses community of Faisalabad with "lots of dismay". The industrialists of the city have also staged protest against the SROs, he added. The letter said, "the FBR had met and consulted certain non-representatives on "unilateral, controversial, and discriminatory SROs". It said: "During the whole process genuine stakeholders and FCCI were not consulted by the FBR Chairman."
The FCCI observed that protection to tax evaders and discrimination against business community and burdening it with additional taxes are the "root causes" behind corruption and economic fragility of the country. The FCCI rejects fresh levies, the letter said, adding that the chamber will resist the FBR move. It claimed that FCCI is a representative body of business and industrial community of Faisalabad which generates 48 percent of the total national revenue. The FCCI chief appealed to the prime minister to issue directives to FBR Chairman to immediately withdraw "all controversial SROs issued after Decembers 31, 2012 without consultation with real stakeholders."