QUETTA: The business leaders of Quetta have warned of protests if the government didn’t roll back new taxes and FBR’s powers to arrest alleged tax evaders.
In a meeting on Saturday, business leaders from Balochistan’s provincial capital and the Quetta Chamber of Commerce and Industry (QCCI) members said the new measures were a “death warrant” as they would stifle businesses.
They warned of a province-wide protest movement if the government didn’t withdraw these “anti-business provisions”.
The QCCI patron-in-chief, Haji Ghulam Farooq Khilji, strongly criticised the recent federal budget and rejected the new taxes and FBR powers.
Mr Khilji said the sweeping authority granted to FBR officials under Section 37A of the Sales Tax Act will allow tax officers to arrest CEOs and directors “merely on suspicion” of tax frauds and penalise non-filers for transactions above Rs200,000. He called these measures “oppressive” for the business community, particularly in Balochistan.
Published in Dawn, July 14th, 2025