|
Ministry recommends paper tariff
The Ministry of Industry and Trade has asked the Ministry of Finance to increase import taxes on paper from ASEAN member countries to protect domestic producers from cheap paper imports.
This petition follows sharp falls in the prices of pulp and paper imported into Vietnam.
|
Vietnam paper mill
launches in Laos |
|
A paper and pulp mill was inaugurated in Huaphanh Province in Laos last week in the presence of provincial authorities and a representative from the Vietnamese Embassy.
The US$2 million factory, the first of its kind in Laos, has an annual capacity of 36,000 tonnes of pulp. The new plant is expected to provide jobs for 300 Lao and 60 Vietnamese people and generate about $2 million in tax each year for the province. — VNS |
The ministry is proposing raising the tariff on imported writing paper from zero to 5 per cent and on paper for printing newspapers from 3 per cent to 5 per cent.
It also recommended a cut in value-added tax for paper producers to help them overcome this period of difficulty. The current VAT rate is 10 per cent.
The Vietnam Pulp and Paper Association has said local paper producers have had to cut output by 20 to 40 per cent since September, but they were still unable to cut their losses due to cheap imports from ASEAN countries and China.
Small- and medium-sized paper producers were estimated by the association to suffer losses of VND1 to 3 billion (US$60,000 180,000) each this year. The association said domestic paper production would fall further next year as most investors in the sector announced a halt to their pulp and paper production projects without announcing timetables for the resumption of work.
Industry officials encouraged local paper producers to improve their product quality and minimise production costs to avoid closures.
VNS
|
