Pakistan FMCG Importers Association (PFIA) welcoming the proposal of bringing commercial importers back under the final tax regime, has urged the government to bring the import and customs duties further down so as to discourage the smuggling which is also hurting the genuine commercial importers. The Association also welcomed the announcement by the government to curtail the number of taxes.
These views were expressed at a meeting of the PFIA here on Friday, which was chaired by its President Anjum Nisar and attended by the Vice President Muhammad Ejaz Tanveer, Secretary General Ali Tariq Mattoo, Zeeshan Bukhshi and others. The members of the Association expressed their pleasure that the government realizing the hardships of the commercial importers had decided to bring them back under the final tax regime.
They urged the government to take strict action for discouraging smuggling too which was damaging the national economy. Smuggling was not only discouraging genuine importers but also depriving the government of heavy revenue in shape of loss of duties and taxes.
The Association said that there was no guarantee of smuggled goods thus it was also equal to hoodwinking the consumers. While commercial importers could not compete with smuggled items because of paying duties and taxes on their import, they added.
The PFIA leadership reiterated their demand that the government should make checking by the agencies more effective for eradication of smuggling, promoting genuine businessmen and enhancing revenue.