Local car retailers are dissatisfied over the government’s latest decision to make it mandatory for the settlement of the duty and income taxes on the import of new and utilized vehicles to be paid out of the foreign exchange. They are of the opinion that the shift is a result of the monopoly of the localized car developing organizations as they have benefited from the option while the dealers dealing with international cars have suffered immense loss. The import of vehicles has almost quit after the new plan.
Car Retailers Federation Vice President Imran Abbas declared that localized companies had improved the costs of their cars after the ban on imported vehicles. “The day the govt imposed the restriction, there was a boost in costs of local cars. The assemblers and manufacturers of local cars are the ones benefiting,” he declared. The representatives of the car dealers’ association currently held a conference with Adviser to the PM on Commerce and Textiles Razzak Dawood and informed him of the situation. They have now vowed to take to the streets if their grievances are not addressed.
Imran Abbas declared that the PTI govt had made tall claims about empowering overseas Pakistanis prior to elections, but these tough rules had made them wary of the new govt because they were facing difficulty. He added that the move had resulted in a drastic fall in imports, which had affected various small businesses as well. He declared that the dealers of utilized cars were facing a sharp decline in their business, which was their bread and butter.
“The revenue created by these imported cars has always been lawful and fair,” he said and added that the imported cars were further luxurious than the locally-manufactured ones and came with all the necessary tools like airbags. He declared that localized organizations sent dollars out of the country in the name of royalty, but the govt did not regulate or limit them. Imran declared that the govt should make such policies after taking traders into confidence, and appealed to the authorities to not let the organizations be affected. “The closure of businesses will result in countless families being affected, and the PTI govt would be responsible for this injustice,” he said.
