LAHORE: The Ferozepur Road Industrial Association (FRIA) has issued a strong statement condemning what it described as punitive and ill-considered tax enforcement strategies recently imposed under the Finance Act 2025. FRIA Chairman and PIAF leader Shahbaz Aslam warned that the industrial and commercial backbone of Punjab will not recover unless government policy stops treating business as a threat rather than a partner. Shahbaz Aslam said that recent measures, particularly the arrest powers conferred on tax officers through Section 37A of the Income Tax Ordinance, represent a dramatic erosion of trust between the state and the business community. \u201cWe are no longer debating policy\u2014we are now fighting for basic security in how we operate,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen enforcement tools are turned into intimidation tactics, it is not reform, it is repression.\u201d He stated that the July 20 business closures across Punjab were not a symbolic action but a decisive rejection of the government\u2019s direction. Lahore\u2019s industrial zones, major trade arteries, and commercial hubs saw voluntary and peaceful shutdowns by stakeholders who have always paid taxes, created employment, and powered exports. \u201cThe silence of markets spoke louder than any protest. It showed that the confidence gap is now a credibility crisis,\u201d Aslam noted. FRIA called attention to the confusion and disruption caused by the sudden imposition of e-invoicing and e-Bilty requirements without proper infrastructure, especially in second-tier cities. Shahbaz Aslam said these measures may seem technical but have severely disrupted supply chains, deliveries, and transactions that rely on traditional systems and informal efficiency. Staff reporter<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is not about resistance to change. It is about the absence of transition planning. If you want digitization, prepare the ecosystem first,\u201d he stressed.
\nHe urged the government to re-engage with real business stakeholders\u2014not just on TV or at ceremonial meetings, but in legally binding discussions that result in gazetted corrections. Verbal assurances, he said, are now meaningless.
\nFRIA affirmed its complete solidarity with peaceful business resistance and declared that if immediate steps are not taken to roll back the oppressive clauses of the Finance Act, it would fully support stronger action, including sustained closures and political pressure.
\nShahbaz Aslam concluded with a message to the federal authorities: \u201cYou cannot tax fear. You cannot grow distrust. And you cannot reform an economy by sidelining those who keep it alive. Reform must empower\u2014not punish.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
LAHORE: The Ferozepur Road Industrial Association (FRIA) has issued a strong statement condemning what it described as punitive and ill-considered tax enforcement strategies recently imposed under the Finance Act 2025. FRIA Chairman and PIAF leader Shahbaz Aslam warned that the industrial and commercial backbone of Punjab will not recover unless government policy stops treating business […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-491559","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-business"},"yoast_head":"\n