Sindh Farmers Vow Court Battle Against 45% Agricultural Income Tax

Sindh farmers have decided to take legal action against the recently imposed 45 percent agricultural income tax, calling it unconstitutional and a threat to their livelihoods.

The Sindh Chamber of Agriculture (SCA), during a meeting chaired by its patron-in-chief Dr. Syed Nadeem Qamar, announced that it would challenge the 45% agricultural income tax in court. The chamber labeled the tax “unconstitutional, illegal, and unethical,” and demanded its immediate withdrawal.

The SCA alleged that the agricultural tax was introduced under pressure from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), without considering the hardships faced by the farming community. Farmers attending the meeting declared that they were not getting fair prices for their produce, leaving no justification for such a heavy tax burden.

The chamber urged farmers across Sindh to reject the agricultural tax and boycott wheat cultivation for the 2025-26 season. It warned that if the government attempted to arrest farmers over non-payment, millions more would willingly present themselves for arrest.

“We are ready to face jail but will not pay the agricultural tax,” declared several farmer representatives at the meeting.

Farmers also announced they would grow alternative crops such as mustard, sunflower, nigella (kalonji), and other oilseeds instead of wheat, citing very low support prices that do not even cover production costs. They vowed to mark the year as one of complete wheat cultivation boycott.

Cotton Production Falls 40pc as Farmers Receive Below-Promise Prices

The SCA raised alarm over a 40 percent decline in cotton production, projecting that total yield would not exceed four million bales. It criticized the government for failing to deliver on the promised support price of Rs11,000 per maund, while farmers were receiving only Rs6,500.

In addition to calling for the removal of the 18 percent local tax on cotton, the chamber demanded a 25 percent tax on imported cotton to encourage local production. It further expressed concern over the recent Rs22 per liter hike in diesel prices and a Rs600 per bag surge in DAP fertilizer rates, saying these input costs are crippling farmers.

The chamber stressed that the skyrocketing prices of seeds, pesticides, and fertilizers were pushing the agriculture sector towards collapse and demanded immediate government intervention.

It also asked farmers to register for the Benazir Hari Card through their local mukhtiarkars and relevant offices. Furthermore, it called for an extension of the existing Rs10,000 per acre subsidy on sunflower and canola to also include mustard and rapeseed crops.

Notable attendees included Kabool Khatian, Chairman of Sindh Irrigation and Drainage Authority, along with Zahid Bhurgari, Nabi Bux Sathio, Shahnawaz Khan Jamali, and other farmer leaders.