Businesses demand withdrawal of the 10 percentage points hike in import duty on lift and escalators in order to keep the domestic prices of the products to control and save them from incurring financial losses.
They made the demands while addressing a protest rally forming a two-hour human chain today 9th July organised by the Bangladesh Elevators and Lift Importers Association (BEELIA) in front of Chattogram Press Club.
Terming lift and escalators as ‘essential products’, the business leaders urged to keep the products in the category of ‘essential capital machinery’ and lower the import duty to its previous level of 15.75 per cent.
BEELIA member and also the president of Chattogram Elevator Business Forum Pujan Sen Gupta, said at the rally that local consumers will be affected if the 10 percentage points hike is imposed as imports meet 90 per cent of the country’s annual demand for lift and escalators.
