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Islamabad’s traders have scheduled a key meeting on Wednesday, December 10, to decide their final response to the Federal Board of Revenue’s (FBR) move to enforce mandatory POS registration on small shops. The business community says the government is pushing the system “by force,” creating uncertainty across local markets.
The FBR’s push for digitizing retail sales through the POS system aims to improve tax documentation and widen the revenue net. However, small traders argue that they are already struggling with inflation, compliance costs and limited technical capacity, making sudden enforcement unreasonable.
All Pakistan Anjuman-e-Tajiran Chairman Ajmal Baloch said traders will gather to finalize a unified action plan.
He stated,
“We are being forced into POS registration without resolving our genuine concerns. The community will decide a firm course of action on December 10.”
The meeting will also weigh stronger measures such as a city-wide shutdown strike or a protest outside the FBR headquarters, depending on the government’s stance.
Traders are expected to raise concerns related to:
- documentation requirements
- registration hurdles
- technical challenges of using POS system
- lack of support or incentives for small retailers
Baloch said traders will not rule out a protest or full market closure if the FBR continues pushing ahead without meaningful consultation.
