DLP Report
PESHAWAR
Former provincial minister and president of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Traders Association Malik Mehar Elahi on Thursday said that new taxes on small traders and the prolonged closure of the Torkham border were severely damaging the local economy.
In a statement, he said the fixed tax of Rs25,000 under the government’s “Chhota Tajar Scheme” was excessive and unaffordable for small shopkeepers, adding that an annual tax burden of Rs5,000 to Rs10,000 would be more realistic in the current economic situation.
He suggested that instead of imposing heavy fixed taxes, the government should introduce a separate relief scheme for small traders already paying lower tax amounts to provide broader relief to the business community.
Elahi said that KP produces surplus electricity and gas and demanded special concessions in energy tariffs for consumers and industrialists in the province.
Expressing concern over the continued closure of the Pak-Afghan border, particularly at Torkham, he said the suspension of trade had severely affected local business activity.
He urged authorities to restore cross-border trade immediately, keeping in view the difficulties faced by traders. He also criticised the imposition of a 10 per cent tax on former tribal areas (Fata and Pata), saying it had led to factory closures and rising unemployment, which could further worsen the security situation. Elahi urged the prime minister and finance minister to provide meaningful tax relief to traders and industrialists, particularly in underdeveloped districts, to protect jobs and promote economic stability.
