MANSEHRA: Oghi traders announced on Sunday that they wouldn’t pay the excise tax enforced recently by the excise department, and fresh valuation of their businesses, threatening to go on an indefinite strike if they were forced to pay the levy.

“The business community has already been going through a difficult period due to the imposition of direct and indirect taxes. Under such unfavourable conditions, we are unable to pay an additional levy imposed by the excise department,” Attaullah Tanoli, president of Awan-i-Tajart, Oghi, told a meeting held here.

“We will not pay this tax as we are already suffering because of record inflation in the country,” Mr Tanoli said.

“Our sales are declining as rising prices and inflation have eroded the people’s purchasing power. Instead of offering relief to the business community, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has imposed more taxes on traders,” he said.

Say already running in losses due to high inflation

The body’s vice-president Abdul Razzaq said that traders were already burdened with high electricity tariffs and the direct and indirect taxes imposed by both the federal and provincial governments.

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“We cannot even cover the household and educational expenses of our children. How we can pay additional taxes that are imposed every month,” he remarked.

Mr Razzaq urged the federal and the provincial governments to curtail their own expense instead of imposing further taxes on people.

When contacted, Atif Qayyum, district excise and taxation officer, told Dawn that the excise tax was imposed under the Urban Immovable Property Tax Act, 1958, and was gradually being extended to the areas not under the tax net.

“We have to assess and evaluate an area in terms of its business, worth and nature before imposing and collecting the excise tax,” he said.

Mr Qayyum said that the business community of Oghi should pay the tax for their region’s prosperity as a fixed share of the levy would also be spent on the development of the areas wherefrom it was collected.

POWER OUTAGES: Battle town residents, including local government representatives, on Sunday warned the Hazara Electric Supply Company (Hazesco) to end the ‘unjustified’ power outages in the area, or they would take to the streets.

“Electric supply to Battle and its suburbs is suspended by officials at the Chaterplan grid station,” Hizbullah Khan, chairman of the Battle village council, told reporters.

Accompanied by a group of locals, he said water supply to households was disrupted due to prolonged power outages, creating water shortage in the region.

“Households that depend on hand pumps and wells are without potable water due to the extended power outages,” Mr Khan said.

He said business activities had also been adversely affected by the excessive power cuts.

“The local people sacrificed their agricultural lands for the construction of the grid station, but now they are subjected to excessive blackouts,” Mr Khan deplored.

Published in Dawn, November 11th, 2024