The furniture manufacturers warned of marching to Islamabad if the excessive taxes are not withdrawn
Karachi
The furniture manufacturers of the country have launched the movement to register their protest against the unprecedented hike in raw material and in this connection they closed their business and staged demonstrations in different cities of Sindh, Balochistan, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhaw on Tuesday.
The shutter down strike was observed and demonstrations staged on the call of All Pakistan Furniture Manufacturers Association.
In a press statement, Zahid Hussain and Rana Waheed, the chairman and senior vice chairman of the association respectively, said that strike was observed in Karachi, Islamabad, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Chiniot, Gujaranwala, Gujarat, Chakwal, Sawat, Quetta, and several other cities. They also staged demonstration in Karachi at Lyari Expressway, Shahrah-e-Faisal and M. A. Jinnah Road.
The furniture manufacturers warned of marching to Islamabad if the excessive taxes are not withdrawn. According to them, the price of raw material has increased hundred percent due to excessive taxes.
The association leaders said that there seems no writ of the government and the government institutions responsible for keeping eye and controlling prices have kept mum on the deteriorating situation. They feared that hike in price of raw material would render thousands of furniture workers jobless.
According to them, the price of hardware items, foam, Formica sheets, Chipboard, and all other necessary items required for furniture have become unaffordable. They demanded removal of ban on import of raw material releasing the containers stuck up at Karachi port.
The association leaders also criticized the FBR for imposing sales tax and said that they were promised that no sales tx would be imposed on furniture but now they are being issued the notices and their shops are being sealed. (PR)
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