Govt urged to check anomalies in white paper import

FE Team | Published: March 23, 2011 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00

The local paper mills and merchandising businesses have demanded of the government to take stern measures to check import of white paper through false declaration and discourage import of text books and printing materials. They have also sought reduction of existing 25 per cent tax on commercial import of newsprint which is 3.0 per cent for newspaper industry. The businessmen have proposed that the government check import of printed papers and impose high tax on import of text books, Shahid Serniabat, chairman of Bangladesh Printing Industries Association, said the local industries faced uneven competition when the government floated international tender for publishing text books. The government, for the first time this year, has imported text books from India through inviting an international tender. The Association leaders have proposed these measures Tuesday in a pre-budget meeting with the National Board of Revenue (NBR). The NBR held two separate meetings with the printing and publishing sector, leather goods manufacturers and exporters and jewelry associations. Nasir Khan, senior vice president of Leather Goods and Footwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association of Bangladesh, said the government should offer same facilities for the industries outside the export processing zone (EPZ) to create a level-playing field. He also demanded continuation of tax holiday facility and extension of bond licence renewal tenure to three years from existing one year for the sector. Chemical importers and merchandising association has urged the NBR to check abuse of bonded warehouse facilities as commercial importers are facing uneven competition due to unauthorised sales of warehouse items in the local market. Imitation jewelry businessmen have sought reduction of supplementary duty for the sector. - FE Report