All Pakistan Anjuman-e-Tajiran (APAT) on Monday vowed that it will bring one million additional tax-payers into the tax net within the next three years after approval of Voluntary Tax Compliance Scheme (VTCS) announced by the government on January 1.
There are over 3.5 million traders across the country who are keen to take advantage of the scheme, APAT Secretary General Naeem Mir said while addressing a press conference at a local hotel.
He said currently only about 100,000 traders were paying their taxes and this package would help hundreds of thousands of more traders to enter the tax net.
Criticising the political parties opposing the scheme, Mir said that the traders from across the country were disappointed by the stance of opposition political parties including Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Mutahidda Qaumi Movement (MQM) and Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) against the scheme.
He said the scheme was offered after traders had struggled for almost 6 months.
The APAT secretary general said that the Voluntary Scheme had been offered for small traders with incomes of up to Rs 50 million instead of billionaires.
He said that in case the opposition parties did not change their stance, the traders would have no option but to hold demonstrations and protests.
He requested the opposition parties not to involve traders in their politics and favour the government’s positive decisions.
He said that the Anjuman was a non political organisation so it should not be politicised.
Naeem said that the government had prepared the scheme in consultation with the business community and that it was very beneficial for the traders.
He said that the traders were excited to take advantage of the scheme as it would help them enter the tax base without any difficulty.
Anjuman Tajiran President Ajmal Baloch on the occasion said that the traders’ community was playing an important role in the country’s development.
He also paid tribute to Minister for Finance Ishaq Dar who listened to the traders’ issues and offered a historic scheme which would help document the economy.
He urged the political parties to think for the betterment of the country instead of making hue and cry over non-issues for political point scoring.
APAT official Ghafoor Paracha said that traders were considered the backbone of any economy. Therefore, they should be given due respect and regard.
He said that if all the 3.5 million traders came under the tax net as a result of the scheme, it would transform the country’s fate.
