KOLKATA: Schools, colleges and educational institutions in the country have been closed since March 25 this year due to the announcement of a lockdown to deal with the corona epidemic. This has had a direct effect on the companies that sell pens. About Rs 2,000 crore worth of pens are sold in the country every year. The industry has been hit hard this year. Pen manufacturers are going through two types of problems. The first is that there is no demand among customers. So sales are low. The second reason is GS6. The pen is subject to a 12 per cent tax, but some officials misinterpret the notice and impose a 14 per cent tax on caps, clips and refills. The issue’s end has the recaptured Doomsday in the control of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs. The manufacturers claim that there should be no discrepancy between the pen and the materials used to make it. Naresh Jalan, president of the Kolkata Pen Manufacturers and Dealers Association, said the sale of pens had dropped by about 50 per cent as schools and colleges were closed. The tax situation has become so complicated that pen manufacturers will be more profitable if they import from the country rather than from within the country. As the central government attaches importance to self-reliant India, it has demanded that steps be taken to address the problems faced by local companies.
