FPCCI supports Asaan tax scheme

Business Recorder reported that the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry has backed the government's Asaan Tax Scheme. Under the plan, traders would pay a fixed annual tax of Rs25,000. Shopkeepers who enrol will display a taxpayer plate at their premises, a step the federation says will end harassment by officials.

At a consultative meeting at Federation House in Karachi, FPCCI President Atif Ikram Sheikh said enrolled shopkeepers would be shielded from harassment once they display the plate. Senior Vice President Saqib Fayyaz Magoon added that beyond the fixed sum, traders would pay only 1 percent of turnover, which he described as favourable to them. Business Recorder's report also quotes Mian Zahid Hussain, chairman of the Policy Advisory Board, saying traders are prepared to contribute to economic growth.

FPCCI Vice President Aman Paracha called the scheme better than earlier offers, while Convener Abdul Rehman Khan asked traders to raise any further facilitation they need directly with the federation. Chief Commissioner RTO-I Karachi Qazi Hifz-ur-Rehman also spoke about the scheme's benefits.