Taxes in Malakand Division: Swat chamber devises strategy

The Swat Chamber of Commerce and Industry has outlined a fresh protest strategy against taxes imposed in Malakand Division, according to Business Recorder. At an emergency meeting chaired by its president, Noor Muhammad Khan, participants postponed a final decision until they meet Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. They warned that an unsatisfactory federal package could prompt them to consider withholding utility bill payments, civil disobedience and additional demonstrations.

The meeting welcomed the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cabinet's decision to scrap provincial levies, crediting Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and lawmakers for pressing the case. It nonetheless asked the federal government to publish a definitive notice ending federal taxes in the division. Participants also voiced serious worry about the high levies embedded in power and gas bills, which they said added to the severe economic strain on traders.

The Malakand Traders Federation and the chamber will pursue the matter jointly and plan to brief parliamentary leaders from major political parties. Participants said their rights would be defended by constitutional, legal and democratic methods, and they asked lawmakers to take up the matter in the Senate and Parliament. They cautioned that if the federal response fell short of public demands, the protest could be widened.