The rupee devaluation against the dollar has increased the cost of used clothes import, said Pakistan Second Hand Clothing Merchants Association (PSHCMA) Secretary-General Usman Farooqui.
In a letter written to Commerce Advisor Abdul Razak Dawood, Farooqui asked for the curtailment of duties and taxes on imports of used clothing to bring down the increased cost.
He said one dollar has reached over Rs163 as compared to Rs160 ahead of Eid, making imports costlier. The poor people cannot afford the high price of used clothing, which has been rising due to soaring cost of imports on account of rupee depreciation, Farooqui added.
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Imports of used clothing are already facing a high incidence of various taxes and duties, which include five percent customs duty and sales tax each and 6pc withholding tax.
He said another 10pc regulatory duty was imposed in Budget FY20, which had never been done by any governments previously. He requested the commerce ministry to reduce taxes and duties on import of used clothing in order to at least run this business properly.