MULTAN, March 16th: Chairman of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR)Dr.Muhammad Irshad has ordered the Regional Tax Officers to stop the issuance of notices to ginners and freezing of their bank accounts forthwith and assured that some concessions and facilities would be given to ginning industry in the budget for 2017-18.All disputed matter, legal and other obsctacles would be removed through legislation in the National assembly .A delegation of ginners headed by Chairman of Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association (PCGA) Dr.Jeso Mal on Thursday visited FBR and met with its Chairman Dr. Muhammad Irshad and discussed current issues of the ginners community.PCGA delegation comprised on Senior Vice Chairman Suhail Mehmood Haral, Ex-Chairmen Haji Muhammad Akram, Shehzad Ali Khan, Ex-Vice Chairman Rao Sadar-uddin while Member FBR( inland Revenue) Rehmat Ullah Khan Wazir assisted the Chairman FBR. Dr.Irshad said that Government gives due honour to its valued regular tax payers like Ginners who are playing their role in country's economic development .He assured that ginners' reservations and fears would be removed.He said that we would have to move to National Assembly to remove the ambiguities ,obstacles and legal lacuna in taxation system. Chairman of PCGA Dr.Jeso Mal apprised him of their grievances and said that issuances of current notices and freezing of bank accounts and unjust deductions have disturbed the ginners community as it is affecting the business atmosphere in the country besides denting the reputation of business friendly government. He said that such anti-business measures of the tax department are hampering the growth of business activities.Dr.Jeso Mal said that all the leading economies are giving incentives to expedite economic activities in their respective countries but in Pakistan the people who are sitting at the helm of affairs are doing the otherwise at this point in time when almost all the businesses were facing a number of internal and external pressures. He said that ginners are at right to think that issuance of notices based on the 5 to 10 year old audit paras was a partof harassment and intidimation.He also asked the tax authorities to focus on expanding the tax net to generate revenue necessary to run the affairs of the country as honest taxpayers are also being targeted which is unfortunate.PCGA Chairman said that acts like freezing bank accounts and issuing notices on ginners had hampered the economic activities. He said that the Chairman of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR)Dr.Muhammad Irshad should take notice of the whole situation and stop the FBR officials from using such an ugly tactics. He said that if there is an urgent need to take action against any particular ginning unit, the FBR officials should be directed to take concerned association (PCGA) on board.He said that trade & industry is the engine of growth and country cannot move ahead without resolving its major issues. He said that all possible measures should be taken in the federal budget to unravel the problems which are hampering the trade & economic activities.The PCGA delegation also called on a number of member of National Assembly and the Senate and submitted their proposals and recommendations to legislationabout ginning industry. The delegation also apprised the parliamentarians about the negative effects of sowing sugarcane in corecotton area.
