Ceramic industry demands withdrawal of supplementary duty

Economic Reporter :
Manufacturers of ceramic items have demanded withdrawal of supplementary duties on local tiles and sanitary products.
They also proposed lowering duty on imported raw materials to 5% from the existing 10-25%, which, the manufacturers say, is very high.
In a pre-budget discussion with the National Board of Revenue, the Ceramic Manufacturers and Exporters Association on Monday placed their demand and proposal.
The country has 68 ceramic factories with investments of nearly Tk 9,000 crore and they meet 90% demand of the domestic market, said Shirajul Islam Mollah, president of the association.
The labour-intensive industry is dependent on imports for about 90% of its raw materials.