LAHORE - Despite record business of sewing clothes on this Eid, tailors say heavy tariff, high cost of doing business and inflationary material cut down their profit margin considerably this year. Tailors enhanced the sewing price from Rs 300 to Rs 450 per suit this time to manage their business but their profit declined substantially as compared to the last year when they charged Rs 250 to Rs 300 per suit. The electricity tariff has been increased manifold couple with high cost of material used to stitch cloths. We are also paying shop rent 15 per cent above what was fixed for last year. The cost of labour is also very high, said 30-year-old Adnan Ahmed, who runs a small tailoring shop in Johar Town main Market. However, he said that they got record business of stitching Shalwar Kamis, a traditional and popular dress to wear for men on the Eid Day. We saw teenagers also preferred Shalwar Kamis and Kurtas to Jeans and other types of suiting. This is very popular dress for men to wear on Eid Day, Muhammad Khan, another tailor said, when interviewed. The price of tailoring material used in the collars jumped to Rs 180 from Rs 100 while the thread price also registered 100 per cent increase if compared with the last years rates. Last year, we had 500 suits to stitch on Eid and this time we have some 700 orders. But the profit margin was almost 100 above during previous year as compared to this year, he maintained. For example, he said, I remember last year we had paid Rs 5000 electricity bill that has swelled to Rs 11500 this year. We are worried due overall high inflation like all other people, he added. We have to convince the customers that we are unable to sew the cloths on old rates as the price of everything has doubled, he explained. Some of the tailors were also of view that floods also hit their business. However, few tailors said that they got special orders in great quantity from some donors to stitch the suits for the people, marooned in the ravaged floods. This government multiplied the miseries of the public rather than providing them any relief. They have badly failed to control inflation. The price of almost everything from kitchen items to shoes and utility tariff to house rent has swelled manifold, 65-year-old Jabbar Khan, a supervisor at a garment factor said. They (government) should be thrown out and must be punished, he demanded while cursing the politicians. Market sources revealed that the tailoring business registered negative growth in the flood-hit areas but tailors made record business but with far less earning here in the City.