Editors Council on Sunday demanded that the government withdraw the budgetary proposal to increase duty on newsprint import.Expressing concern over the proposal in the budget for fiscal year 2013-14, the council in a statement said the newspaper industry which is already in crisis will face a serious trouble if the government hikes the duty.
Finance Minister AMA Muhith proposed increasing the import duty on newspaper from 3 percent to 25 percent while import duty on printing plates by 9 percent.
“A total of 23 percent duty, including, Vat, tax and insurance, has to be paid to import each tonne of newsprint. If the proposal is implemented, the total duty will be 57 to 58 percent which will shoot up the overall publication costs by 28 percent,” said the statement signed by Editors Council president Golam Sarwar.
Besides, expenditures, including printing and transportation, of newspapers have marked a rise in the recent times. On the other hand, the salaries of the concerned will go up significantly once the new wage board award is implemented, it said.
“Under the circumstances, it won’t be possible for the newspaper industry to bear the increased newsprint import costs,” the statement said.
It said the logic shown in the budget proposal to save the local newsprint industry also does not match the reality. Although there are 67 paper industries in the country, only two or three of them produce roll-type newsprint used in the newspaper industry.
“Moreover, the newsprint of these factories is of such low quality that printing quality can’t be good. Even these factories aren’t capable of supplying sufficient and quality newsprint to the newspapers,” the statement said, adding, “We think the imposition of additional duty on the newsprint imports in the name of saving such industry is not appropriate.”
Under these circumstances, the Editors Council urged Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Muhith to rescind the proposal to increase the newsprint import duty, hoping that the lawmakers will play a positive role in this regard. (Source: UNB)
