Tobacco farmers want the government to abolish the advance tax of PKR 380 (USD 1.76) per kilogram on tobacco leaf, reports The News International.

The farmers said that if the government did not listen, they were prepared to stage a protest in Islamabad. President Mehnatkash Labour Federation Ibrar Ullah said at a press conference, that the price of tobacco per kilogram in the open market was PKR 256 (USD 1.18) per kilogram while the advance tax on it was PKR 380 (USD 1.76) per kilogram, reports The News International. He said that the advance tax is actively harming sales and leaving many farmers without a job. President Kissan Board Rizwan Ullah said that the government was destroying the farmers’ crops and that they would stage a sit-in in Islamabad if the situation were not resolved.
According to The News International, other speakers said that the government was using farmers by collecting taxes through their crops but not providing any relief or help with sowing or harvesting of the crops. Naimat Shah Roghani, president of farmers rights protection organisation, said that the government was working hand in hand with multinational tobacco companies with the tax aimed at eliminating the local tobacco industry and buying crops from farmers at cheaper rates.
All tobacco farmers of the KP province have stated that they will stage protest in front of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) in Islamabad and would also be willing to block motorways to demonstrate against the advance tax.