LAHORE -National Tariff Commission Chairperson Robina Ather on Saturday assured the All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) Punjab of rationalisation of tariff on all industry inputs.
Talking to APTMA Punjab Chairman Adil Bashir during her visit to the Association office here, she said the government had assigned NTC the task of rationalizing tariff in consultation with all stakeholders. The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) was already working on it, she added.
She said she had visited the APTMA Punjab to consult the industry on the subject. APTMA Punjab Chairman made a detailed presentation on the occasion and pointed out that APTMA had drafted an integrated export-oriented scheme covering the whole value-added chain.
The proposed scheme, he said, provided integration of all existing schemes and extends the coverage to the whole value-added chain with free mobility of inputs, intermediary and output goods from one licensee to another licensee and simultaneously protecting the government revenue through a foolproof mechanism and a fully automated system. The same may now be considered and approved by the Ministry of Commerce and FBR, he asserted.
He proposed to abolish Anti-Dumping Duty (ADD) and reduce customs duty on import of Polyester Staple Fiber (PSF). He asked for exempting the import of cotton from all duties and taxes throughout the year. The NTC may determine realistic levels of effective tariff protection for the entire textile value-added chain, he said.
According to him, all inputs required for the export industry should be zero-rated. Protection to the local industry may be considered and extended through tariff rate quota, he suggested.