PESHAWAR: The Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Department of Excise and Taxation and Narcotics Control have agreed to form a joint committee to address the traders’ grievances about property tax, and other issues. The development came during a consultative session on property tax jointly organised by SCCI and the E&T department at the Chamber House here on Friday, according to a statement. It added that the committee would highlight apprehensions of traders regarding collection of property taxes of various slabs and suggest appropriate tax reduction. The session was chaired by president of the chamberFazal Moqeem Khan and attended by senior vice-president Abdul Jalil Jan, E&T department director (revenue) Saidul Ameen, senior officers Mohammad Iqbal, Shakeel Khan, Ashfaq Ahmad and Zahid Iqbal, former presidents Fuad Ishaq, Faiz Mohammad Faizi, Anjuman-i-Tajran KP chairman Shaukat Ali Khan, former senior vice-president Mohammad Naeem Butt, former vice- president Javed Akhtar, member of the SCCI executive committee Haji Abdul Nasir, Ashfaq Ahmad and Affaf Ali Khan, Fazal-i-Wahid, Syed Ejaz Ali Shah, Rashid Iqbal Siddiqui and Ihsanullah, secretary general Muqtasid Ahsan, traders, and industrialists. E&T officials promise facilities to traders Officials through a multimedia presentation briefed participants about various categories and slabs of property tax, KP Finance Act, 2024, and relief measures for business community and residents through amendments to the law. Both sides agreed to initiate collective steps to avoid collection of excessive and double property tax and announced to form a joint committee, consisting of representatives from SCCI and E&T department for the purpose. Earlier, Fazal Moqeem said that the business community wanted to pay taxes but irrational and unnecessary taxes were unacceptable. He stressed the need for reducing the rate of property tax and other levies and ending humiliation of traders during actions for tax collection. Fuad Ishaq and Shaukat Ali Khan highlighted the traders’ reservations about an increase in the ratio of property tax and demanded abolition of “unnecessary and unjust” taxes. Officials of the E&T department agreed with recommendations of the participants and promisedto address grievances of traders and provision of facilities to them under one-window operation.