The traders announce a nationwide strike on August 28

KARACHI:

A nationwide shutdown has been called for August 28 by traders and businessmen protesting the rising cost of doing business, fueled by unbearable taxes and exorbitant electricity and gas tariffs. The Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) announced its full support for the strike.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, All Karachi Tajir Ittehad President Atiq Mir stressed the need for unity among traders against what he described as a “harsh tax system”. He criticized the federal budget for imposing new taxes that increased the prices of basic goods and services, including pulses, vegetables, medicines, books, utility bills and transport fares. Mir noted that the resulting inflation at a record high level has severely affected both traders and ordinary citizens, reducing purchasing power to unprecedented lows. He argued that while the general population suffers, the elite, including the country’s aristocracy and plutocracy, remain largely unaffected.

“Short sales have been the norm for four consecutive weeks, with shopkeepers sitting idle, waiting for customers,” lamented Mir. “Meanwhile, the government continues to focus on taxing traders and the wage-earning class instead of cutting the costs of ministers and the bureaucracy. The electricity bill alone is made up of 14 taxes – this is an absolute injustice.”

Mir expressed his full support for the August 28 strike, which was initially announced by Markazi Tanzeem President Tajran Kashif Chaudhry. The strike is a protest against the excesses committed by K-Electric and the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR). “We reject the Tajir Dost scheme and all federal budget taxes in the larger interest of traders, public and the country,” Mir said. He warned that if the government failed to act in defense of the people and against the luxuries afforded to the plutocracy, there could be widespread unrest.

KCCI President Iftikhar Ahmed Sheikh also urged all members to support the August 28 strike by keeping their businesses closed. He urged that the government’s controversial Tajir Dost scheme, along with heavy electricity bills and other taxes, must be withdrawn immediately.

Sheikh criticized the government’s practice of serving notices to both registered and unregistered traders demanding advance tax of Rs 60,000 per month. He described it as harassment and pointed out that the majority of shopkeepers cannot afford such a high tax. “It was assured that only a nominal tax of Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,200 would be applied, but the FBR is demanding Rs 60,000, which we strongly condemn,” Sheikh said.

He called on the government to postpone the Tajir Dost Scheme for at least three months and hold consultations with all stakeholders to make the scheme truly trader-friendly. Despite numerous letters from KCCI to policy makers, Sheikh lamented that no action has been taken to address these concerns.

“In this era of inflation, it has become extremely difficult for shopkeepers to continue their business,” he lamented. “Instead of providing relief, the government continues to impose heavy taxes and hike electricity bills, which is unacceptable for any trader. Hence, KCCI has decided to fully support the nationwide strike on August 28.”