The entrepreneurs of the local carton producers association urged the government to impose 5% import duty on raw materials of local packaging and printing industry to save the local manufacturers.
They demanded duty be placed like that put on plastic packaging in the budget for FY21.
Several trade bodies, including Bangladesh Local Carton Manufacturers Association (BLCMA), Bangladesh Printing Crafts Association (BPCA), The Bangladesh Paper Merchant Association (BPMA), Bangladesh Paper Importers Association (BPIA), Bangladesh Textbook Printer and Marketing Association (BTPMA) and Chittagong Paper and Cellophane Traders Group (CPCTG), made the demands.
MA Bashar Patwary, president of the BLCMA, sent a letter to the Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal saying that the country’s local carton manufacturing industries are small and medium enterprises and labor-intensive enterprises, while two million people are involved in this industry.
“We urge the government to consider our four points to survive the institutions concerned in the budget. The HS codes are - Duplex board, art card and paper code 4810.92.00; 4810.99.00 and 481029.00. Also craft liner paper code - 4804.11.00,” he added.
The BLCMA also urged not to deduct income tax at source in the printing and packaging industry and stop VAT evasion on packaging paper.
