PML-N government is taking bitter pills after pills and showing mettle so far. Taxing the traders was never expected from the at least the PML-N government whose vote bank belongs to this community, but they are doing it which is very amazing. The only people who pay tax in Pakistan are the salaried class. They have to pay because their tax gets deducted from the source. Government of Pakistan (GOP) then tries to collect revenue through indirect taxation which directly again hits the salaried class. Traders have never paid taxes in cash Pakistan economy. Now they are crying because GOP has at last put a minimal tax on them. Its simple. If anyone does bank transaction of RS. 50,000 one day, he will be taxed at just 0.6%.
Now tell me which common person or a normal shop keeper earns 50K daily? This tax is very intelligent and targets those businessmen who earns hundreds of thousands of daily and then transfer that money through their personal accounts or through the accounts of their wives. That is why main chambers of commerce are silent but small and medium business owners are on the streets. They have also misled local shop owner associations by saying that their turn is next, which is totally wrong. The sad thing is that opposition party like PTI is also siding with these tax thieves. Amazingly, the England-bred Chaudhry Sarwar of PTI also criticizing tax collection drive. What a hypocrisy. Another good thing happening is the sealing of restaurants which have dirty kitchen, and no health certificates. Main brand names like Savor Pulao in Islamabad have been sealed. This should go on as health of citizens is paramount. One hopes that government doesn’t cave in.