'Presence of printing institutions critical for India'
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, March 04 2020: Members of the All India Federation of Master Printers (AIFMP) have expressed keen desire for establishing printing institutions in all the States of the country, including Manipur.

They also claimed that GST has become a major threat to the printing industry of the country as the implementation of the new tax reformation has hit the print sector hard.

The AIFMP members were speaking during an interactive session with media on the first day of the two days 248th Governing Council Meeting of the same federation which began today at Hotel Classic Grande, Chingmeirong.

The federation's president Dibyajyoti Kalita conveyed that AIFMP has been considering the matter of establishing printing institutions in each States of the country.

'Presence of printing institutions critical for India'

He further said that GST implementation in printing industry is not uniform as some parts of printing works are being exempted and some are being covered.

Kalita added that such irregularities on GST implementation have resulted in the new tax reformation not matching with sales and purchase of printing related works.

The president went on to inform that a case has already been filed in connection with GST implementation in print sector.

He then informed that the proposals and views that have been put forward by the members of the AIFMP during the federation's governing council meeting will be discussed and resolutions and recommendations taken during the meeting will also be highlighted to other members of the fraternity across the country as well as to the Government.

AIFMP immediate past president Raveendra Joshi asserted that there are lots of confusion regarding the application of inputs and outputs rates for the raw materials required in printing and other printing related works.

Maintaining that there are still many ambiguities in the structures of selling different print products and charging GST, he continued that every printer in the country is in dilemma on what GST slab should be charged to clients.

The import of paper in the country will be reduced because of certain inapt in import duty structures and enrolment problems in other European countries and China.

As such, paper import in the country may be reduced in the near future owing to inapt customs duty on importing papers in the country.

Most of the printing press owners imported printing paper on very high rate and there is a big threat on this work due to the new structures, he added.

N Saratchandra, vice president of All Manipur Press Association (AMPA), an association affiliated to AIFMP, stated that a proposal for providing industrial estate for printers and establishing a printing institute in the State will be put forward during the AIFMP Governing Council Meeting besides pressing the representatives of the State Government.

He conveyed that issue of spreading novel corona virus in the country has impacted the AIFMP Governing Council Meeting with many members cancelling their participation.

Mentioned may be made that AIFMP is an apex body of the Indian Printing Industry having 250,000 members across the country.

The two day long AIFMP Governing Council Meeting will conclude tomorrow.