Islamabad, December 16, 2025 – Traders in the federal capital have rejected the Federal Board of Revenue’s (FBR) recent increase in property valuation rates, warning of a protest and sit-in outside FBR House on December 22 if the controversial notification is not withdrawn.
Addressing a press conference at the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI), President Sardar Tahir Mahmood said that the FBR’s notification had raised official residential and commercial property values by up to 1,700 percent—a move traders called unrealistic and unjustified.
“DC rates are usually re-valued gradually, but this sudden hike after years is completely irrational,” Mahmood stated. He added that property transfer fees had surged from around Rs 4 million to Rs 10 million, making business operations in Pakistan increasingly difficult.
Mahmood warned that if the FBR does not withdraw the notification, the trader community would stage a strong protest on December 22. He emphasized that such sudden measures would choke trade, halt real estate activity, and damage investor confidence, potentially causing business closures and economic instability.
Supporting Mahmood, Sheikh Tariq Sadiq, Chairman of ICCI Founder Group, and Ajmal Baloch, President of the All Pakistan Anjuman-e-Tajiran, confirmed full participation in the protest. Baloch also demanded action against corruption under the Point of Sale system and the immediate removal of Federal Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb.
Traders expressed frustration that the valuation revisions had been pending for over 18 months, accusing the FBR of unilateral decision-making without consulting stakeholders. A consultative meeting held earlier at ICCI, attended by representatives from trade, industry, real estate, and construction sectors, unanimously condemned the hike as anti-business and harmful to economic confidence.
Senior ICCI leaders and multiple trader associations voiced concerns that such coercive measures could further erode trust, deter foreign investment, and exacerbate economic challenges, urging Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Defence Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir to intervene.
The ICCI and affiliated trader groups have made it clear that the protest on December 22 will be a firm stand against the FBR’s controversial property valuation increase, signaling widespread dissent from the business community in Islamabad.