Regional Tax offices of Hyderabad, Sukkur and other cities have frozen the bank accounts of ginners and started deduction of taxes from their accounts which are not due against them, causing severe unrest among the ginners of Sindh province. Chairman of Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association (PCGA) Dr Jeso Mal said since the ginners are law abiding people and they are paying taxes on regular basis without any hesitation, there is no justification for their intimidation and harassment.
He urged upon the Prime Minister Mian Nawaz Sharif, Federal Finance Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar and Chairman of FBR to intervene into the action of regional tax offices and ask them to desist from deduction from the bank accounts of ginners. He also demanded for immediate de-freezing of their bank accounts. Dr Jeso Mal said that we were protesting against the issuance of notices from the FBR for payment of unjust tax.
Instead of taking action of our protest, FBR froze our bank accounts and deducted the disputed tax. He said that PCGA had already informed the chairman of FBR about its reservations on the taxation. PCGA also sent a letter to FBR to implement on the announcements of Member (Policy) FBR and withdraw all notices besides de-freezing the accounts.
He threatened to take direct action if their grievances were not redressed forthwith. What a pity that Federal Board of Revenue was treating with filers and non-filers in same manners. Dr Jeso Mal said that ginners of Punjab were being harassed by different agencies levelling the baseless allegation of manufacturing contaminated or adulterated oil-cake (Khal). He said that PCGA was stood with Government against the adulteration and contamination. He said that more than a dozen cases have so far been instituted against the owners of composite units.