The Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has termed the anti-tax general strike "an eye-opener" for policy makers and demanded that the government drop it at once. Vice-President Syed Mahmood Ghaznavi said the one-day strike had caused a loss of billion rupees to the national economy, warning that the situation could get further aggravated if the government refused to do so.
He also predicted that the side-effect could give "a big blow" to the economy already facing various internal and external challenges. "At present when we are talking to strengthen the economy, the strike could reverse the government's efforts aimed at economic revival. Repeated strikes by traders will not only cause hardship to the businesses but the government will also be the ultimate loser as far as revenue collection is concerned," he said.
"Wednesday's strike has virtually brought the trade and economy activities to a halt that would not only hit the exports hard but the industrial wheel will be stopped due to non-availability of imported raw material. The government will have to solve the issue through negotiation to deter the traders from more strikes. The country is well on the way of economic revival and not in a position to afford the strikes by the traders who are the backbone of the economy."
He went on, "Results of forceful implementation of any law are always bad. So the government should take business community on board and find out a solution acceptable for all stakeholders. Although the expansion of the tax net is the need of the hour but the government will have to bring the untaxed sectors into the tax net." He said all business-related decisions should be taken in consultation with the stakeholders as being done in the developed countries.