Members of the Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry (LCCI) and the Pakistan FMCG Importers Association staged a strong protest demonstration here on Thursday to press the government for immediate withdrawal of recently levied regulatory duties on different items.
The demonstration was led by the LCCI Senior Vice President Khawaja Khawar Rashid, Chairman Pakistan FMCG Importers Association Anjum Nisar, Vice Chairman Ejaz Tanveer, former LCCI President Mian Anjum Nisar, Aftab Ahmad Vohra and various others.
Demonstrators were holding placards and banners inscribed with slogans of rejection of the regulatory duties. Earlier the Association also arranged a seminar on the issue of imposition of regulatory duties and their negative impact on the national economy.
Participants through unanimously adopted resolutions urged the government to immediately withdraw regulatory duties, lower the customs duties, steps for arresting smuggling and taking representatives of stakeholders on board while formulating policies of any sector.
The resolution said that the government should not have adopted the wrong method of imposing regulatory duties to bridge the gap between import and exports. They termed it as a step which was taken without thorough consideration and consulting the business community.
It further observed that increasing taxes on one segment of the society would not help boosting exports. However, they apprehended that it might increase smuggling in the garb of Afghan Transit trade, multiply hardships for those carrying out import in legal way, and reduce the advance tax which importers deposit in the national kitty, smugglers and their facilitators would pick more courage thus leading to destruction of national institutions.
The resolution also claimed that the FMCG sector was the second leading sector of economy after agriculture which would be facing numerous hardships because of the regulatory duties. Speaking on this occasion LCCI Senior Vice President Khawaja Khawar Rashid said that in chapter 34 of the new notification also talk about industrial raw material which should immediately be withdrawn.
Others speakers including FMCG Importers Association's Chairman Anjum Nisar observed that the government should have taken steps to discourage unnecessary import of luxury items but such steps should not cover essential raw materials. They said such raw materials are being used by our export oriented industry.