LAHORE: Pakistan Industrial & Traders Association Front (PIAF) has demanded of the government to allow duty-free import of printing paper.
The demand was raised by PIAF Acting Chairman Khamis Saeed Butt while talking to a delegation of Paper Merchants.
The delegation was headed by Mian Amjad Hussain while other members were included Samiullah Butt, Muhammad Ajmal, Qayyum Raza, Fazal Karim Chaudhry, Malik Muhammad Hanif, Malik Ahad Ameen, Nadeem Saeed Wayeen, Imran Khalid, Aamir Sageer Sheikh, Muhammad Raza and Shan Liaqat.
Khamis Saeed Butt said that duty-free import of printing paper would help bring down prices of books and note books to enable poor students to get education.
He said that recent increase of more than Rs.50 per kg by the paper millers had caused undue damage to the government efforts aimed at promoting education in the country.
The PIAF Acting Chairman said that it was very unfortunate that the paper millers had also got banned the paper which was not manufactured in the country. He said that paper prices would not come down until and unless the government allowed import of paper.
PIAF Acting Chairman said that the business community was ready to supplement all government efforts aimed at promoting trade and industry but it would have to solve all the genuine issues to bring economy out of woods.
He urged the Chairman FBR to take notice of monopoly of paper millers and take necessary measures to stop unnecessary increase in paper prices.
He also urged Federal Finance Minister Ishaq Dar to allow import of paper from India that would be far cheaper than the paper being imported from Malaysia, Indonesia, China and Europe.
