Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi on Friday said that the agricultural tax bill was a legal matter, saying that he would send the bill back to the Speaker of the Provincial Assembly with the concerns raised by the farmers.
He said this during a meeting with a large delegation of farmers and landowners from Peshawar, Charsadda, Nowshera, Mardan, Swabi, and the Malakand Division.
The delegation was accompanied by provincial president of the Pakistan Peoples Party, Muhammad Ali Shah Bacha, and Gohar Rehman Advocate from the Peoples Lawyers Forum.
The delegation included Ajmal Shah Roghani, Provincial President of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Farmers Association, Syed Hussain Ahmad Gillani President of the Kisan Board (Pakistan) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Malakand, and Rizwanullah Khan Vice President of the Kisan Board, along with other farmers and landowners.
During the meeting, the delegation raised serious concerns regarding the provincial government’s proposed agricultural tax bill.
They expressed their concerns to the bill and unanimously urged Governor Kundi to reject the “anti-agriculture” tax law. The delegation also requested that the Governor consider awarding civil honors to farmers and landowners for their contributions to the province’s agriculture sector.
The delegation argued that rather than providing relief and facilities to both small and large farmers, the provincial government was exploiting their income through taxes.
They pointed out that imposing a tax on agricultural income would be detrimental to the sector and could lead to the collapse of agriculture in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, especially when compared to the approach of other provinces that are promoting agricultural growth.
They particularly highlighted that tobacco farmers would be the hardest hit by the new tax. Many small landowners and farmers in the region depend on vegetable farming, and taxing their income would be unfair.
The delegation warned that if the agricultural tax bill is not revoked, there would be widespread protests throughout the province. In response, Governor Faisal Karim Kundi assured the delegation that he would stand with the province’s farmers and landowners at every forum.
He announced plans to soon hold the largest farmers’ convention in the province at the Governor House, where awards will be presented to deserving landowners and farmers. He emphasized that protests are not a solution and that negotiations should be used to resolve the issue.
The Governor encouraged farmers to voice their concerns to the provincial government and the Chief Minister as well.
He assured the delegation that he did not want to see any form of exploitation of the province’s poor farmers and landowners and pledged to continue supporting their rights at all relevant forums.
