Now, cement dealers go on countrywide strike against heavy taxation

As the dust has hardly settled over the strike by the flour millers, now the cement dealers went on a countrywide strike against heavy taxation in the federal budget 2024-25, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

The government has hiked the withholding tax to 2.5 percent for non-filers under Section 236H of the Finance Act 2024 which has made the cement business unsustainable given the current market conditions besides the new turnover taxes imposed on dealers and retailers.

All Pakistan Cement Distributors Association Chairman Sajid Chaudhry declared that after heavy taxation it has become impossible for cement distributors to do business. It was a unanimous decision by the cement distributors to go on a countrywide strike, he added.

He made it clear that taxes and PoS measures have badly affected their business and flayed the requirement for Point of Sale machines, arguing that such demands are impractical for many dealers and retailers, who lack the necessary resources and education.

He urged the government to intervene, suggesting a presumptive tax regime as a solution, warning failure to address these issues could force many businesses to shut down, rendering more people jobless and which will automatically hurt the economy.

The federal government in budget 2024-25 has also imposed a higher FED on cement to Rs4 per kg compared to Rs2 in the previous fiscal year.

Reporter Ashraf Khan