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Media Minister proposes lifting of cess on newsprint imports
View(s):Mass Media Minister Bandula Gunawardena will submit a paper to the Cabinet tomorrow recommending the lifting of the cess charged on newsprint imports.
He will also brief the Finance Ministry on the issue, the Minister told the Sunday Times, admitting that these tariffs had severely impacted the printing of newspapers and publishers had been compelled to significantly increase prices.
“We hope to bring some relief to this sector as it is a medium used by many Sri Lankans,” he said.
The Newspaper Society of Sri Lanka earlier wrote to Minister Gunawardena urging him to remove the cess.
Sri Lanka Customs charges a five percent cess on newsprint imports. But many other types of paper — including paper used for advertising and packaging, such as coated paper and board — are not subject to cess, the Society said.
While the primary purpose of an import cess, which was credited to the Export Development Fund, is to protect and develop a specific local industry, Sri Lanka had no newsprint producers, the Society pointed out.
The industry was forced to increase cover prices by 80 to 100 percent, just to survive and keep publishing.
“We consider the imposition of the cess on newsprint unreasonable and illogical,” the letter said.
“Therefore, we request you to recommend exempting newsprint paper used solely for printing newspapers from the export and import cess.”
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