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FAISALABAD, Mar 18 (APP):Parks & Horticulture Authority (PHA) will decide the issue of publicity board tax in consultation with the Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FCCI), said PHA DG Zameer Hussain.
Addressing the business representative from 8 bazaars and other important commercial centres of the city in a meeting at FCCI, he said the government intended to make PHA, FWMC and other utilities self-reliant.
He said the government had trimmed the grant for PHA from Rs 400 million to Rs 250 million. He said that PHA also earned Rs 240 million from outdoor publicity while on the other hand PHA had a workforce of 1200 individuals and it had to look after 354 parks in addition to greenbelts, Millat Road, Sheikhupura road, Canal Road, Bilal Road, Jail Road, Kutchery Road and Daewoo Road.
He said the PHA had also developed 19 Miyawaki forests to control urban pollution while FCCI President Dr Khurram Tariq had also promised to develop a Miyawaki forest.
About the publicity board, he said that earlier 50 sqft boards were exempted from tax but now their size has been reduced to 30 sqft. “PHA has also organized independence and winter festivals while soon after Ramadan spring festival would also be celebrated in a befitting manner”, he said and added that all the activities need funds and the Punjab government decided to generate these funds from publicity boards.
He identified shop specific and publicity boards and said that the apprehensions and
reservations of small shopkeepers would be discussed in the next BOD meeting of PHA
regarding publicity board tax.
He said the PHA had already submitted the business plan proposing austerity measures
to cut down expenditures and enhancing income to undertake new projects. Earlier, Acting President FCCI Dr Sajjad Arshad said that he had represented these small shopkeeper’s issues in an effective manner.
“However, there is a difference between the approach of government departments and the business community”, he said and added that the government departments and business community both are equally facing financial crunch.
He said the government should add burden on the small shopkeepers according to
their bearing capacity so that the system could be run smoothly. He said that the membership of Dubai chamber had increased 71 percent only due to the shifting of Pakistani businessmen to that country.
He said that major businessmen could easily absorb the major shops but it was difficult
for the small shopkeepers who had limited financial resources. FCCI Vice President Hajji Muhammad Aslam Bhalli explained that he participated in the PHA meeting to present the case of small shopkeepers without any invitation.
He thanked the Director General PHA for visiting FCCI to resolve the issue of publicity
board tax. He was optimistic that we must sit together and resolve issues amicably.