Traders on Wednesday threatened to launch a countrywide protest if the ongoing talks between the federal finance minister and leaders of the businessmen community failed to withdraw 0.6 per cent advance adjustable tax, imposed on bank transactions.
"If the talks being held in Islamabad between traders and the government fails then the political parties will be invited to join the continuing protest," Chairman All Karachi Tajir Ittehad, Atiq Mir said, urging the struggling traders to withdraw all of their bank deposits to fail the government's new taxation procedure.
He said that the traders' triumph against the government's 'atrocious' tax could only come about with their unity. "It is astonishing to see the Karachi Chamber is opposing the traders' movement against the tax and supporting the government's injustices against the non-filers," he added.
He also criticised the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry for calling the protesting traders organisations 'unrepresentative', saying that "we condemn the Karachi Chamber's president's `irresponsible' statement". The Karachi Chamber president's statement has damaged the traders' movement and disappointed the businessmen community, he said.
"The Karachi Chamber has no right to damage the traders' movement for their rights just to please the government," he said, adding that the small traders had never pinned hopes on the Karachi Chamber and would never do so to in future, as well. He said that the KCCI's statement would create rifts in the ranks and files of traders which he termed 'damaging' for the entire community. He said that calling the small traders organisations 'unrepresentative' would alienate KCCI from support. He urged the small traders' organisations to avoid taking help from Karachi Chamber.