Tahir Abbasi Senior Vice President and Saif ur Rahman Vice
President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ICCI) said that MCI had
unilaterally and illegally made 300 percent increase in trade license fee on which
traders have many reservations. They said this while talking to a delegation of
local traders during their visit to ICCI.

They said that business community was not against payment of tax, but making
increase without following set procedure was unjustified. They said that at the
one hand, MCI has setup a separate department for removal of encroachments,
but on the other hand, MCI has allowed pushcarts to do sale on footpaths on
payment of rent. They said that the DMA staff was receiving extortion from them
and those who were not paying extortion, their products were picked up
forcefully and were released on receipt of payment by storekeeper or supervisor
while this situation was giving rise to corruption in MCI.

Tahir Abbasi said that DMA Directorate was handed over to Director Fire Brigade
and a Deputy Director of Fire Brigade was performing the duty of DMA. They said
that CDA has enough officers and any officer of CDA well-versed with the issues
of Islamabad could be appointed as DMA. They said that MCI was also trying to
levy sanitation tax in addition to receipt of conservancy charges. He said that
such double taxation was not acceptable to traders. He said that CDA had
cancelled the move of a parking plaza in Blue Area, but MCI has given that plot
for parking on contract to a party. He said that giving commercial plot on for
parking on contract was not a right move. He said that traders would not allow
MCI to give parking on contract to any party in any market including Jinnah Super
Market and Traders Association of Jinnah Super would itself operate the parking
in the area. He urged that MCI should cancel all licenses of sit-out areas in all
markets including F-10 Markaz and take action against those who have allowed
encroachments on footpaths and other places.