LAHORE: The Pakistan FMCG Importers Association (PFIA) has welcomed the suspension of regulatory duty by the Lahore High Court which was levied on over 400 imported items and said the government should consult the stakeholders for redressing their genuine reservations.
PFIA President Anjum Nisar, Patron in Chief Naseem Ahmad Chawla, Vice Chairman Ejaz Tanveer, Nafees Barry and Zeeshan Bakhshi in while talking to media persons said that the decision of the government to impose a regulatory duty on different items including food, dairy and even raw material of some export-oriented industries was an injustice.
They said these duties should be withdrawn completely They said imposition of new taxes in shape of regulatory duty would result in price hike of different items thus making it impossible for the people to buy quality imported items on affordable rates.
They said unnecessary and lavish items should be discouraged by levying regulatory duties but the food, especially FMCG sector, should not be taxed. They said this sector was not only meeting the demand of local consumers but its working also compels the local industry to upgrade its standards and quality.
They said the sector was already facing different issues such as smuggling and under invoicing and imposition of fresh duties would make it impossible for it to survive.
