LAHORE – Jamaat-e-Islami chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has criticised the government’s taxation policies, claiming that billions of rupees have been collected from the public through petroleum levy and other taxes.
Speaking in Lahore, Hafiz Naeem said that citizens had paid around Rs8.5 trillion in petroleum levy so far, adding that approximately Rs1.9 trillion was collected under the levy during a single year.
He alleged that taxes were being imposed on people who did not fall within taxable income brackets, claiming that around Rs12 billion had been collected from such individuals.
The Jamaat-e-Islami leader also criticised the collection of taxes from small vehicle and motorcycle users, saying ordinary citizens were facing increasing financial pressure.
He accused the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) of failing to achieve its tax targets and alleged that the burden was being shifted onto the public.
Hafiz Naeem called on lawyers, teachers, doctors, students, and citizens from different sections of society to participate in a protest scheduled for August 7.
He said people would come out on roads across the country, from Karachi to Khyber, to voice their concerns over economic issues.
