Muhammad Ahmed Waheed, President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ICCI) said that Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI) has imposed new tax on many businesses and made manifold increase in trade license fee that have perturbed the local business community. He said that manifold increase in taxes would badly affect the growth of business activities and further enhance inflation for people. He appealed to the government high- ups to intervene and save the business community of the federal capital from unjustified measures of CDA and MCI. Muhammad Ahmed Waheed said that trade license fee was increased in budget and now has been increased once more after about six months, which was not justified. He said that MCI had made up to 300 percent increase in property tax in Islamabad against which ICCI had obtained a stay order from IHC and the case was under adjudication. He said that at the one hand CDA/MCI were increasing taxes, but on the other hand no development work was being done in markets and industrial areas. He urged that CDA and MCI should withdraw increase in taxes and focus on development of industrial areas and markets to facilitate the growth of business activities. Tahir Abbasi Senior Vice President and Saif Ur Rehman Khan Vice President ICCI said that all municipalities were receiving trade license fee from businesses doing business in sale and purchase of food items, but MCI has issued notices to all sorts of businesses, which was illegal. They said that businessmen were not against tax payment, but unjustified increase in taxes created additional problems for them. They urged that CDA and MCI should take market associations on board before considering any increase in taxes. They said that increase in trade license should be withdrawn along with withdrawal of notices issued to business community for this purpose.