KARACHI: The Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) has raised serious concerns over the government’s decision to pursue aggressive recovery of super tax following the Federal Constitutional Court’s (FCC) ruling upholding its legality.
The chamber warned that enforcing large super tax payments in a single tranche could severely disrupt business operations and deepen economic stress. KCCI President Muhammad Rehan Hanif said the recovery drive comes at a challenging time, as businesses are already facing a liquidity crunch due to high energy costs, elevated interest rates, heavy taxation and rising input prices.
He cautioned that sudden demands amounting to hundreds of billions of rupees would drain working capital, destabilise cash flows and hinder firms’ ability to meet routine expenses such as salaries, utility bills, raw material imports and bank repayments. Requiring lump-sum payments, he added, is neither practical nor sustainable.
Mr Hanif urged the government to allow adjustment of super tax liabilities against long-pending income tax and sales tax refunds to ease liquidity pressures. Alternatively, he called for a structured installment plan that would enable taxpayers to discharge liabilities over time, encouraging compliance while safeguarding industrial activity and employment.
