Traders were considering a nationwide strike for three days, followed by an indefinite countrywide wheel jam, if their demands were not addressed, Muhammad Kashif Chaudhry, the Central Organisation of Traders Pakistan, said on Thursday.
“Government representatives are unaware of the realities faced by traders,” he said at a press conference in Islamabad.
Traders observed a strike on Wednesday against the scheme and exorbitant electricity bills.
Chaudhry claimed that lawmakers do not pay taxes themselves and should reflect on their actions before lecturing others.
Chaudhry highlighted that traders are burdened with “various taxes, including income tax, capital gains tax, value-added tax, customs duties, and withholding taxes.” He noted that they also contribute to the Workers Welfare Fund, excise duties, and a total of 44 different types of taxes.
Despite paying numerous taxes, he lamented that traders struggle with high electricity and gas prices, as well as costly water supply. He criticised the government for poor performance, citing issues like garbage accumulation and blocked sewage lines as indicators of their inefficiency.
Chaudhry invited government officials to take the keys to shops and factories and run the businesses themselves. He criticised the government for not consulting real trader leadership when formulating their so-called pro-trader schemes.
He expressed the traders’ readiness to negotiate to support the economy, countering claims from ministers that traders do not pay taxes. He pointed out that it was “actually parliamentarians who evade taxes and urged them to examine their own conduct before lecturing others.”
He claimed that at least 188 lawmakers have not submitted their financial statements and only 1,003 members of the National and provincial assemblies have declared a total income of Rs125 billion, contributing just Rs1 billion in taxes collectively.
Chaudhry called for legislation to ensure that no public officeholder is eligible if they do not pay income tax. He demanded a ban on development funds and allowances for parliament members.
The traders union had raised concerns about the allocation of tax money, questioning how public welfare could be assured if the funds were not being utilised effectively.
Chaudhry rejected the “fixed tax imposed under the Tajir Dost scheme, asserting that they would not accept it in any form.” He criticised the criteria used to establish tax slabs, asking which surveys and laws were considered in their creation, declaring that this has turned into a battle of nerves for traders.
He suggested that the Federal Board of Revenue must transform into a more cooperative body or risk being abolished and replaced with a new institution.
Chaudhry proposed that profit margins for different businesses should be determined, warning that if the government remains obstinate, traders would not back down. “We want to pay taxes, but we will not fund the luxuries of rulers or their palaces.”
