Caption: President for Farmers and Settlers Association, Mr. Wilson Thompson
REMOVAL of Non-Tax fees, charges and levies against farmers and business owners will potentially contain the ongoing increase in the price of goods and services in the country.
This will further enable opportunities to create employment for many young Papua New Guineans who are coming out from the universities and colleges every year.
President for Farmers and Settlers Association, Mr. Wilson Thompson highlighted this in a media statement today.
“We have warned the government to immediately reduce or remove the Non-Tax fees, charges and levies except by IRC and Customs.
“This is to reduce cost of production and enable opportunities to create employment for the 60, 000 persons been graduated or just pushed out per year,” he said.
“People are complaining about increase in prices for food. We have clear example where price of live chicken in markets have increased from K35 to K50 around the country.
“In matter of weeks, price of stock feed increased from K117 to K137 per bag, price of feeding, water troughs, canvass and lamps have increased so as price of diesel, petrol and kerosene used in the poultry business,” Thompson said.
“We warned 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 price of goods and services and further reduced opportunities for domestic investment in increasing the capacity and size of downstream manufacturing sector.”
“We appreciate the strong emphasis by government on agriculture, downstream processing and food manufacturing.
“However, we are not sure when it turns around and is charging the farmer to pay for the fertilizer, tractor, factory, water and power to go and produce something? Thompson 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 business.
“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.
“The reduction of Non-Tax fees and levies will compensate for the increase in imported costs and maintain our current prices or even reduce it so that 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.”
He said 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 to expand and create employment.
Thompson further stated that the Department of Labour and Employment has increased fees on inflammable liquids inspection, factory and warehouse license fee and so as the Department of Environment and Conservation on water permit fees and fuel levy.
Furthermore, the agriculture commodity boards are charging research and extension levy and export permit and tonnage levy on the farmers.
