Marble Mines & Industries Development Association, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Tuesday announced province wide shutter down strike against the levy of 17% GST on the sector in the budget 2019-20. Addressing a press conference, Mohammad Sajjad Khan, the chairman of the association rejected the levy as sheer injustice and cruelty and added that the imposition will destroy the marble industry.
A large number of other marble units representatives were also present on the occasion. Marble is the largest industry of the province with the total number of one thousand units and the employment of the thousands of labourers is dependent on it. He said that the shutter down has already begun in the province since June 30, 2019 and very soon it would grip the whole country. The sector, he said earned billions of rupees revenue for the federal and provincial governments. He said that they pay sales tax to the tone of Rs 350 million in the power bills.
Beside, depriving the government of 17% GST, the strike would also deprive the country of handsome foreign exchange and millions of labourers would be rendered unemployed that would aggravate situation for the government.
He also demanded ban on the import of every kind of marble and granite to the country to save millions of foreign exchange for the country and retrieve the sector from the prevailing hardships.