Traders torn copies of professional tax as mark of protest

Ludhiana, October 21, 2021: Punjab Pradesh Beopar Mandal (PPBM) today held a demonstration at Bajwa Nagar against introducing professional tax and torn copies of this tax as a mark of the protest.
The protest was staged under the leadership of the mandal’s state general secretary Sunil Mehra, district president Arwinder Singh Makkar and Rakesh Vohra (mandal hosiery unit).
Addressing the protestors, Sunil Mehra and others said that the state government has been giving step-motherly treatment to the traders. They regretted that the Channi government is maintaining silence on the professional ta issue whereas it has made announcements with regard to power and water supply.
The mandal leaders said that traders are already facing recession due to the pandemic situation for the last about two years, adding that traders have suffered huge financial losses in the last a couple of years. Instead of giving any relief package to traders the state government is putting sword of professional tax on traders, they added. 
They said the Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi had assured the traders that professional tax would be withdrawn but nothing had been done at the ground-level so far. As a result, resentment prevails among the traders’ community, they said. They warned to intensify the protests further if professional tax is not rolled back till the festival of Diwali. The entire responsibility of which shall lie on the state government itself, they added.
Among others, Mohinder Pal, Krishan Lal and Manoj Jain were present.