This new Afghan tax regime had resulted in blocking of over 1000 trucks, carrying different kinds of goods for Kabul, at Torkham and Chaman border points by Wednesday evening as the importers are reluctant to pay newly imposed duty.
Business Recorder has learnt that the government of Afghanistan had conveyed its decision of imposing import duty on all kinds of goods coming in from Pakistan, with effect from January 15, during joint ministerial commission meeting recently held in Kabul.
However, the exporters were not conveyed Afghan government's decision by Pakistan's tax authorities leaving them in total wilderness. The exporters have been taking the new development as a bullet and held Pakistan authorities responsible for their trouble.
They argue that new Afghan tax regime would hit hard Islamabad which was already facing tough time in capturing Afghan market due to Karazai government's tilt towards some other country of the region.
An Islamabad-based exporter, whose consignment of four trucks of flour (atta) is held up at Torkham border since last Saturday, told this correspondent that the Afghan tax authorities were denying entry to his consignment since the importer was not in a position to pay duty as high as 20 percent.
A Peshawar-based clearing agent confirmed on Wednesday that long queues of Pakistan trucks were waiting for their entry into Afghanistan at Torkham and Chaman entry points for the last four days due to differences between the merchants and Afghan authorities over payment of duty at the new rate.
The consignments blocked at Afghan border are of cement, flour (atta), sugar, iron bars, ghee/cooking oil and several other perishable items.