ISLAMABAD: The computer importers and trader associations have collectively called upon the federal government to immediate withdraw recently issued Valuation Ruling by the Customs authorities, increasing up to 50 percent in the import value of the used computers and laptops in the country.
The concern has been collectively raised by Muhammad Rizwan, President and Yasin Malik, Member of Karachi Electronic Dealers Association (KEDA), Malik Kaleem Ahmed, President Hafeez Centre Traders Welfare League, Lahore, Babar Mahmood, President Anjuman Tajran Electronics, Lahore, Munawar Iqbal, Founder Chairman Pakistan Computer Association, prominent IT businessmen Shami Shah and various other computer stakeholders in the country.
They have emphasized that while the computer market is still recovering from the negative impact of the Covid situation. The recent Valuation Ruling will definitely halt the pace of recovery in the computer business and will impede the government’s campaign to project its policy on health and education.
They said the new ruling will badly affect the on-line learning taken by educational institutions and universities in the backdrop of the students in particular who have been taken as important element in study from home with their teachers. This will also greatly slow down the IT market because of the rise in the prices of used computers which was earlier available at affordable prices for all buyers and users.
They said the ruling is making it difficult for the poor and needy section of the society particularly the researchers to purchase cheap used computers from the market.
They voiced their deep concern that the use of computers has increased manifold in the country due to Covid situation leading to a new phase of e-learning initiated by the government. They have pointed out that already the import of computers has stopped and the market is running short of computers making it difficult for buyers and common man to purchase a computer. The IT market is facing the uphill task of easing its business and its workers are facing large scale unemployment.
The IT traders have therefore called upon the government to immediately take measures to correct the situation and save the used computer industry from complete disaster. They have called upon the Prime Minister, FBR, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education and concerned departments and all stakeholders for withdrawal of Valuation Ruling on used computers to help ease the IT industry as well as the educational institutions in the country.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
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