Traders in southern Kandahar, Afghanistan have stopped exporting fresh fruits to Pakistan after Islamabad increased taxes on imported goods.
Thursday was the third day when Afghan traders did not export grapes and pomegranates from Kandahar to Pakistan.
Haji Nanai Agha, head of Kandahar Fresh Fruits Traders, told Pajhwok Afghan News that traders boycotted exporting fresh fruits to Pakistan after the country increased import duty.
He said Pakistan had increased customs duty on hundreds of types of imported goods including grapes and pomegranates of Kandahar.
He said Pakistan previously charged 6,000 Pakistani rupees tax on each ton of pomegranates from Kandahar but increased the duty to Rs15,000 in the new tax policy.
In the past, the tax on one ton of grape was Rs8,000 but soared to Rs28,000.
He said high taxes had rendered Afghan traders who are even unable to pay transport costs, was the reason traders stopped their exports to Pakistan in the last three days.
Agha said the Afghan government should discuss the issue with Pakistan and help reduce the tax to the previous amounts.
1 RS = 0.0153845 USD
Source: pajhwok.com
