Islamabad
A delegation of chairpersons of different Senate standing committees visited representatives of different chambers and trade associations at the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry office to hold discussion on the upcoming budget.
The delegation comprised Senators Talha Mehmood, Chairman Senate Standing Committee on Finance, Revenue and Economic Affairs; Senator Abdul Qadir Khan, Chairman Standing Committee on Petroleum, Senator Kamil Ali Agha and former federal minister Shiekh Waqas Akram.
The meeting was also attended by office bearers of FPCCI and the representatives of chambers of commerce and trade associations of Sindh, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Federal Area, and Gilgit-Baltistan.
Speaking on the occasion, Senator Talha Mahmood said that only the business community can fix the country’s economic crunch but officially they are not treated in a good manner and called with different tags in the society.
He said that there is a trust deficit between the business community and tax authorities. The government cannot collect taxes forcefully from them and have to create a friendly and respectable atmosphere, he further said.
He said that the rebates and refunds are the right and trust of the business community in the hands of the government, and these should be returned immediately. Business community suggestions should be made an integral part of the budget because they are direct stakeholders. —TLTP