Traders continue shutterdown strike for another day.

Rawalpindi -- The businessmen and traders continued observing shutter down strike even on the second consecutive day on Wednesday to register their protest against new taxation system by Federal Bureau of Revenue (FBR).

Scores of traders association had given the call for country-wide strike on which the traders and businessmen kept their shutters down across the district. Trade associations wanted to press the government to accept their charter of demand to simplify the taxation procedure, withdraw the new taxes and the condition provision of copy of CNIC. In Rawalpindi, all the main commercial hubs in Saddar, Raja Bazaar, City Saddar Road, Ganjmandi, Sooter Mandi, Gawalmandi, Kohati Bazaar, Iqbal Road, Bansanwala Bazaar, Purana Qila, Narankari Bazaar, Urdu Bazaar, Murree Road, Liaquat Road, College Road, China Market, Sabzi Mandi, Mochi Bazaar, Jamia Masjid Road, Banni Chowk, Fawara Chowk, Lal Kurti, Adiala Road, Tench Bhatta, Chungi Number 22, Bakra Mandi downed their shutters the whole day.

However, the traders and shopkeepers kept open their shops in suburbs of city and residential areas. Interestingly, the shops in and around Lal Haveli-the residence of Federal Minister for Railways Sheikh Rashid Ahmed-also remained closed by the owners to express their solidarity with traders against the PTI led government. Overall strike remained peaceful and no incident of stone pelting or closure of shops forcefully occurred anywhere in the city.

RCCI urges FBR to extend filing of income tax returns till Nov 30

Meanwhile, President of the Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI), Saboor Malik has urged the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to extend the date for filing of income tax returns till November 30. In a statement, he said that many taxpayers may not be able to file returns due to slow processing and constant congestion in the FBR online system, IRIS. As per media reports, the optical fiber under sea met a technical fault causing slow internet traffic in Pakistan. Moreover, the traders were observing shutter-down strike on Oct 29 and 30 thus the political situation is also causing hardships in e-filing of returns 2019. Therefore, it was requested to extend the last date for filing income tax returns by November 30, 2019. He said that extension in date of tax returns filing will be a good favour to the business community and will also help FBR in meeting its revenue targets

The immediate extension in the date of tax returns filing...