Tax proposal for printed paper, pictorial and drawing books
Friday, 13 June 2008
THE finance adviser, according to his own claim and also as per the views of the chamber bodies, presented a business-friendly budget. Economists also did not make any severe adverse criticism of the proposed budget for fiscal 2008-2009. But I cannot understand why the increase has been proposed with regard to import duty on 'printed papers' and 'pictorial and drawing books' for children. When the Chief Adviser has been stating, time and again, that his government wants a knowledge-based society, such a budgetary proposal is nothing but a move to restrict the avenues for widening the horizon of knowledge. Taxing knowledge cannot pave the way for building a society, based on wisdom.
Maybe the finance adviser had to accommodate the demands of a section of traders in the domestic publishing industry. But high duty on books and papers cannot be justified. Any obstacle to importing books may negate the government's announced programme for spending more on the information technology (IT) sector. Most books on IT that are used by local learners are imported. So giving the ICT sector duty benefit would not yield good result, by keeping the books too costly for general users.
Pictorial and drawing books give the children the opportunity of getting ideas on different cultures. This also helps to strengthen their imagination. Hence, the proposal for raising the import duty on 'printed papers' and 'pictorial and drawing books' is not friendly to the interest of children. In his budget speech, the finance adviser said: 'The contents of these books, in most of the cases, are not in conformity with our own values and cultures'. Making such a statement tantamounts to making sweeping comment. Knowledge is essentially global, not confined to any geographical boundary. We hope, while further reviewing the budgetary proposals before their finalisation, the duties on printed papers and pictorial and drawing books would be withdrawn.
Rezaur Rahman
Gulshan, Dhaka
Maybe the finance adviser had to accommodate the demands of a section of traders in the domestic publishing industry. But high duty on books and papers cannot be justified. Any obstacle to importing books may negate the government's announced programme for spending more on the information technology (IT) sector. Most books on IT that are used by local learners are imported. So giving the ICT sector duty benefit would not yield good result, by keeping the books too costly for general users.
Pictorial and drawing books give the children the opportunity of getting ideas on different cultures. This also helps to strengthen their imagination. Hence, the proposal for raising the import duty on 'printed papers' and 'pictorial and drawing books' is not friendly to the interest of children. In his budget speech, the finance adviser said: 'The contents of these books, in most of the cases, are not in conformity with our own values and cultures'. Making such a statement tantamounts to making sweeping comment. Knowledge is essentially global, not confined to any geographical boundary. We hope, while further reviewing the budgetary proposals before their finalisation, the duties on printed papers and pictorial and drawing books would be withdrawn.
Rezaur Rahman
Gulshan, Dhaka