MCCI Urges Govt To Withdraw Buyers' Identity Card Compulsion On Sales

MULTAN, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 23rd Jan, 2022 ) :President, Multan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI), Khawaja Muhammad Hussain, appealed government to relax the condition of national identity cards on sales to unregistered buyers pleading that it would cause stress among the business community.

The tough condition incorporated in the Finance Supplementary Bill would hold bound the retailers, manufacturers and others to register Computerized National Identity Cards (CNICs) of unregistered buyers. The same condition had been introduced in past but was withdrawn after it caused anxiety among the business community, Khawaja said.

The re-introduction of the condition would put extra burden on business community. It shifts the onus of CNIC of unregistered buyers on business community, the MCCI president said adding that traders could also face legal action action in case the CNICs of unregistered buyers were not verified.

He said that business community always remained on top on payment of taxes. The MCCI president said that manufacturers were already paying 20 per cent sales tax on sales to unregistered buyers, some 3 per cent above the tax rate of 17 per cent in case of sales to registered buyers. In this way, he added, government was receiving additional 3 per cent tax on sales to unregistered buyers. He pleaded that imposition of CNIC condition amid troubling business scenario would cause increase in cost of production and requested the government to review its decision.