PESHAWAR: The Traders Alliance Federation here on Friday staged a protest demonstration against the Cantonment Board, Peshawar, for imposing new taxes and parking charges and warned to announce shutter down strike in case the board did not withdraw the taxes.

The traders in Peshawar Cantt area observed a partial shutter down strike against the taxes. They took out a procession from the Peshawar Press Club on Saddar Road where the participants were holding banners and placards inscribed with their demands for withdrawal of the taxes and parking charges in the cantonment limits.

The traders were led by Peshawar Cantt Tajir Ittehad chairman Mujeebur Rehman, Shaukatullah Hamdard, Sharafat Ali Mubarik and Shahid Ghafoor.

Speaking on the occasion, the traders’ leaders described the parking charges as a violation of a court judgment. They alleged that the board authorities had illegally increased the ratio of taxes, saying that the business community had decided to avoid paying the additional taxes. They said that under the Cantonment Act of 1924 a cantonment board had no powers to levy the parking fee, while no other legislation had been done since then.

The alliance chief, Mujeebur Rehman, lamented that despite the Peshawar High Court’s decision on parking fee collection, the Cantonment Board, Peshawar, continued charging hefty parking fee from the citizens. He asked the board authorities to review its tax policies.

“We give a one-week time to the board authorities to stop collecting property tax and parking charges otherwise the business community will have the only option to announce shutter down strike and start protest rallies daily,” he warned. He urged the station commander to help resolve the issues.

Published in Dawn, March 16th, 2019