Reacting to the survey conducted by cantonment board Peshawar for imposition of tax on signboards on shops, business centres, various groups of traders have warned to announce shutter down strike and start protest demonstration if the decision is not withdrawn immediately. Talking to media persons here on Saturday one Mujeeb-ur-Rahman a leader of the joint action committee of the traders' groups said that cantonment board Peshawar officials had taken the decision unilaterally and did not take the traders on board in this regard.

"We are not ready to pay a single rupee as tax on sign boards. Imposing tax on sign boards means that we should pack up otherwise publicity material and signboards are basic requirement of business," he said. He strongly criticized the CBP officials for initiating survey about the signboards displayed on shops, shopping centers and said that the traders would not allow the CBP to impose any new tax on them, saying that traders were already asking for withdrawal of increase in the property tax, water rate, monthly rent and prices of properties.

Mujeeb said that the CBP had already increased different taxes which had made lives of the business community miserable as their income did not match the expenditures and had the only option to pack up and switch over to any other profitable work. He said that the multinational companies could afford to pay such taxes but the local traders whose income was next to nil were unable to pay the taxes. "We will resist with full force if the CBP attempted to collect the tax on signboards directly or through contractor," he warned. The traders' representative said that terrorism had already badly affected the business in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, especially in Peshawar and it was duty of government to extend financial support to the people but it was imposing new taxes on them.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2017