Pakistan poultry industry calls for tax exemption

The Pakistan Poultry Association (PPA) has urged the government to exempt the poultry industry from the proposed Reformed General Sales Tax (RGST), the Associated Press of Pakistan reports.

Former president Pakistan Poultry Association, Abdul Basit has said that the imposition of proposed Reforms General Sales Tax (RGST) will greatly affect the poultry industry and ultimately affect the cost of production of white meat which would not be recovered from the market as the rates of poultry meat fluctuate on daily basis.

Basit claimed that in 1996, the imposition of 15% sales tax had caused the closure of 40% of poultry farms in the country as they could not maintain their profit after paying the sales tax due to increases in cost of production.

White meat is a cheaper source of protein and contributes 40% protein needs of the people in the country and if the RGST is imposed the people would be deprived of a low cost source of protein, he added.