ISLAMABAD: The traders’ community in Pakistan on Tuesday threatened to observe a nationwide shutdown if the government retracts the recently issued Statutory Regulatory Order (SRO) of the Tajir-Dost Scheme.
President Ajmal Baloch of All Pakistan Anjuman-e-Tajiran opposed the SRO issued by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), stating that failure to withdraw it will compel traders to enforce a nationwide shutdown.
Baloch demanded the FBR’s immediate withdrawal of the SRO, emphasizing that any SRO should align with the mutually agreed terms between the government and traders.
He highlighted that during negotiations, it was communicated to the FBR that the scheme had already proven ineffective, as both tax filers and non-filers are already paying advance income tax via electricity bills.
Furthermore, Baloch categorically stated that traders would refuse to pay any additional advance income tax under any circumstances. The Tajir-Dost scheme, initially limited to six major cities, has been expanded by the FBR to encompass 42 cities across Pakistan, triggering widespread discontent among traders.
The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has issued a notification detailing the new Tajir Dost Special Services Rules 2024, and expanded the scheme beyond its previous scope of six major cities to 42 cities across Pakistan. These cities include the Abbottabad, Attock, Bahawalnagar, Bahawalpur, Chakwal, Dera Ismail Khan, Faisalabad, Ghotki, Gujarat, Gwadar, Hafizabad, Haripur, Hyderabad, Islamabad, Jhang, Jhelum, Karachi, Kasur, Khushab, Lahore, Larkana, Lasbela, Lodhran, Mandi Bahauddin, Mansehra, Mardan, Mirpurkhas, Multan, Nankana, Narowal, Peshawar, Quetta, Rahim Yar Khan, Rawalpindi, Sahiwal, Sargodha, Sheikhupura, Sialkot, Sukkur, and Toba Tek Singh.
These rules aim to enhance trader registration and adherence to tax regulations.
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According to the scheme, traders must now pay a monthly advance tax ranging from Rs100 to Rs1,000, based on the assessed fair market value of their shops as determined by the FBR.
This scheme shall apply to the traders and shopkeepers- wholesaler, dealer, retailer, manufacturer cum retailer, importer cum retailer- operating through a fixed place of business including a shop, store, warehouse, office or similar physical place located within the territorial civil limits including cantonments in the cities specified scheme for registration and payment of minimum advance tax.
