Due to high inflation faced in the country, the Farmers and Settlers Association Inc had call on the government to immediately reduce or remove the Non Tax fees and charges except by IRC and Customs so as to reduce the cost of production and enable opportunities to create employment for the 60,000 persons who have graduated or just pushed out per year.
The Farmers and Settlers Association Inc President Wilson Thompson revealed that people are complaining about the increasing prices of food.
“We are warning the Government to immediately rescind the imposition or reduce the non-tax fees, charges and levies that have direct bearing on the food production and domestic manufacturing sector. These have caused increases in prices of goods and services and reduced opportunities for domestic investment in increasing the capacity and size of downstream manufacturing sector,” he said.
Mr Thompson said, they appreciate the strong emphasis by the government on agriculture, downstream processing and food manufacturing but are not sure when it turns around.
He said the Department of Agriculture and Livestock, Department of National Planning, Treasury, Commerce and Industry and commodity boards are not going to increase agriculture production by 30 percent or build factories for food processing or downstream processing as directed by the government by taxing the farmer and the businesses.
Thompson added that the imposition of non-tax fees, levies and charges will not generate billions or even K100 million or will establish new positions in the public sector to absorb the 60,000 per annum output from the education and training institutions.
President Thompson said the reduction of non-tax fees and levies will compensate for the increase in imported costs and maintain the current prices or even reduce it so that the people of PNG are not adversely affected. “We need our farmers and growers, and fisher folks to maintain prices but increase production and exports to create additional workers to transport and process in the factories and export,” said Mr Thompson.
He added that the continued increase in MVIL vehicle registration fees, driver’s license fees, 50 percent increase in NAQIA fees and charges, PNG Ports fees and charges , Climate Change Office and National Airport Corporation’s fuel levy and surcharge on land, air and sea transport and fertilizer levy is only stopping the private sector and industry from expanding and creating employment opportunities.
