PESHAWAR, Nov 8: Shopkeepers of the provincial metropolis will protest against the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) if it included them in its computerised random balloting for conducting total audit for the last three years, said their leader Sharafat Ali Mubarak.

`We forewarn the FBR that shopkeepers would go on strike if it included shopkeepers in computerised balloting to pick businesses for auditing their accounts,` said Mr Mubarak, the president of Markazi Tanzeem Tajiran, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, when contacted.

He said that they had come to know about the FBR Peshawar office`s decision of including shopkeepers in computerised balloting to select businesses and subject their accounts for the past five years to total audit.

He said that his organisation was against the FBR decision because businesses, including shopkeepers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, did not pay income tax in the last three years 2010, 2011 and 2012 as they were exempted from its payment.

He said that the previous federal government had introduced a three-year incentive package for KhyberPakhtunkhwa`s businesses, industrialists and shopkeepers as a relief against the adverse economic effects of growing militancy and poor law and order situation in the province.

He said that none of the shopkeepers paid income tax during the three years when the package was effective.

`When no one paid taxes then why include them in computerised balloting,` he said.

He said the move would create problems for shopkeepers as they feared `highhandedness` by the FBR local staff. `It would open up doors to corruption as the tax collection staff would resort to pressure tactics against shopkeepers,` said Mr Mubarak.

He said that the tax authorities would pressurise shopkeepers (picked up in the balloting) under the presumption that if they did not pay tax (in the three-year period) then how did they manage to meet their costs and expenses? `If FBR selected to send notices to shopkeepers, we would be forced to adopt a due course of action and protest against the Board,` said Mr Mubarak.-Bureau Report