On Lahore's eastern edge, Harbanspura and the areas towards the Canal and the GT Road have long had cattle sheds and seasonal animal markets, especially before Eid-ul-Adha. Traders buy animals from farms and rural mandis, keep and feed them, and sell them in the city. For most traders, this is business income — not agricultural income — and it's highly seasonal.
Trading vs farming
| Activity | General treatment |
|---|---|
| Buying animals and reselling them | Business (trading) income |
| Raising animals on your own agricultural land | Can raise agricultural-income questions |
| Dairy from your animals in the city | Business income |
| Commission for selling others' animals | Commission income |
A city-based trader buying animals to sell before Eid is running a trading business.
The Eid-ul-Adha season
Most of the year's sales may happen in a few weeks. Keep:
- A purchase record: animal, from whom, date, price.
- Feed and care costs: fodder, vet, labour, shed rent.
- A sales record: animal, buyer, price, date.
- Animals left unsold and animals lost.
Cash and digital payments
Animal sales are mostly cash, though bank transfers are growing for expensive animals. Large cash receipts in one season are normal for this trade; your records should show them.
Costs
- Transport from rural mandis.
- Fodder and feed.
- Labour for care.
- Shed or plot rent.
- Mandi entry fees and charges.
- Vet and medicine costs.
Mandi fees and licences
City authorities regulate temporary animal markets with fees and designated sites. Fees are costs; fines for selling outside designated areas aren't deductible.
Many traders partner with relatives — one buys, one sells. Write down each partner's share of cost and profit; the profit belongs in each partner's return.
The rest of the year
Some traders keep a dairy or fattening operation year-round. See dairy businesses.
Online and app-based sales
Animal traders increasingly advertise on social media and sell through online platforms, taking advances by bank transfer and delivering before Eid. Online advances are customer deposits until the animal is handed over. Refunds for animals that fall ill or die before delivery should be recorded. Bank transfers create a clear trail — make sure each one matches an animal in your sales record.
Fattening between seasons
Some traders buy young animals months before Eid and fatten them. Animals held at 30 June are stock at cost plus feed and care spent on them so far. This matters if Eid falls soon after the tax year ends: the stock you're carrying is real value that belongs in your accounts.
Losses
Animals that die or are injured are a real business loss. Note the date and cause, and keep any vet's note.
Harbanspura — questions we get asked
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