FE Report
The country's printers sought imposition of 25 per cent tax on the imported textbooks of secondary and higher secondary levels that are printed from local manuscript and awarded to foreign printers through international tender.
"The tax imposition will help develop the local printing industry and protect from uneven competition with foreign bidders," A F M Shahalam, secretary general of Bangladesh Mudron Shilpo Samity, told The Financial Express Thursday.
The printers association Wednesday placed a series of demands to the National Board of Revenue (NBR) for consideration in the budget for fiscal year 2014-15.
Their demands also include reducing tax on locally produced papers, and to be strict on open sale of papers imported under bonded warehouse facility.
The printing industry people allege that textbook printing works are given to Indian printing houses, though local printers have been printing textbooks since the independence.
Bangladeshi printers are now exporting printing books and receiving printing orders from across the world. But textbook printing works are awarded to the Indian printers through international tender, they said.
Around 400 local printers got 90 per cent work orders for printing textbooks for about 37.4 million students of primary, secondary, Ebtedayee, Dakhil and vocational institutions in 2014.
The rest 10 per cent books were printed in India, and money for the job was paid to the Indian printers long ago.
Currently, there is 12 per cent import tax on printing, but the government is not imposing it on textbook printing from the Indian printers.
The government introduced international tender system for textbook printing five years back. Since then, 10-30 per cent books have been printed in India.
Mr. Shahalam said if the government does not include 25 per cent tax on printing import, the local printers will be weaker day by day.
Printers for 25pc tax on imported textbooks
FE Team | Published: April 04, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00
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