Johnny to meet Bakery owners tomorrow

The Cooperatives and Internal Trade Ministry says that tax concessions would not be a solution to the grievances of bakery owners.

Speaking about the warning by bakery owners to increase prices of their products if the Government does not grant them a fuel subsidy, Cooperatives and Internal Trade Minister Johnston Fernando said that providing tax concessions to the bakery owners could be counterproductive since the Government wanted to promote local produce, Colombo Page reported.

Fernando is to meet with a group of representatives from the All Ceylon Bakery Owners’ Association (ACBOA) on Tuesday (21) to discuss the costs in making bakery products.  He observed that authorities would not be willing to provide tax concessions to the bakery owners, who say that their production costs have increased by Rs. 3-6 following the recent fuel price hike. They have called on the Government to provide them with tax concessions to maintain current prices.