Jewellers associations across the country, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Lakki Marwat, have announced to launch a protest movement from Wednesday, June 17, 2026, against the FBR’s “unfair taxes” and Section 175C.
The Jewelers, Gems and Jewellery Traders Exporters Association Khyber Pakhtunkhwa announced after an emergency meeting on Sunday that the protest movement will start from Monday, June 15, and will intensify on June 17. Provincial Chairman Haji Amin Hussain Babar said, “We consider it our duty to pay legal taxes to the FBR, but we will never accept cruel and discriminatory tax measures and harassment.”
The meeting was attended by presidents, general secretaries, and representatives of jewellers from all over KP, and the future strategy against the new taxes of the FBR was decided.
The main reason for the protest is Section 175C of the FBR added by the Finance Act. Under this, FBR officers can be deployed at jewellers’ shops and monitor production, stock, and sales in real time. All Pakistan Gems and Jewellers Association APGJA President Qasim Shikaripuri said after 3 rounds of talks with FBR Chairman Rashid Mahmood Langrial that “despite detailed discussions, no consensus could be reached” and the association is adamant against this new compliance mechanism.
Jewellers have proposed a “Special Procedure for Income Tax 2026” under Section 99C in which the stock will be declared only in grams/tolas, not monetary value. They say that the price of gold changes daily, so it is impossible to declare the monetary value.
FBR has collected data of 60,000 jewellers across Pakistan, out of which only 21,000 are registered, and 10,524 have filed returns. Notices have been issued to 900 jewellers in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, and Multan. KP Association has warned that if the FBR does not withdraw the harassment and illegal notices, a nationwide shutdown strike will be called. June 17 will be the main day of the protest.
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