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LCCI body to help remove ST problems

RECORDER REPORT

LAHORE: Sales Tax and Excise Collector Yasin Tahir has agreed to form a four-member committee of the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) to help remove problems being faced by business community in auditing and depositing the sales tax.

The proposed committee would be headed by the LCCI Senior Vice-President, Sheikh Mohammad Asif while other members include Haji Mohammad Asif, Amjad Wazir and Aftab Mughal.

In a meeting with Sheikh Mohammad Asif and other LCCI membes here on Thursday, Yasin Tahir said "his doors are always open for every businessman, who had any problem in settling his sales tax issues.

He said the main function of his department was to collect maximum revenue for the country, which was facing financial crunch at this point of time". He assured that any official of his department to be found indulged in creating harassment or any illegal mean to extort money from the businessmen would be dealt with iron hand.

Earlier, LCCI Senior Vice President apprised the collector of the problems being faced by the business community to which the Collector of Sales Tax gave a very patient hearing and assured that all of the pending cases of sales tax will be settled in the light of recommendations of 4- member committee of the Chamber.

On LCCI SVP request, the Collector suspended the audit activities on the eve of Eid. Moreover, he assured the LCCI that in case of any fault in the first audit of the sales tax, the businessmen would be given chance to rectify their faults.

Sheikh Mohammad Asif appealed to the business community to pay tax honestly and contact the Chamber, if they had any problem in matters of sales tax. He welcomed the 4-member committee saying that this move would help in creating an atmosphere of mutual confidence between government and the businessmen besides enhancing revenue as well.