Chemists'a association seeks tax abolition

PANAJI: The All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD) has demanded abolition of taxes on essential medicines so that they are available at cheaper rate to the consumers.

"Essential medicines like anti-Malaria, anti-TB, anti-Cancer, anti-HIV, anti-Diabetese should be exempted from Value Added Tax (VAT) and other taxes," All India Organization of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD) president A N Mohan told reporters yesterday on the sidelines of AIOCD's fifth executive committee meeting here.

He said the medicines will be cheaper by almost 30 per cent if taxes are abolished.

"Rates for certain medicines like anti-cancer are fixed abnorally high which makes them unaffordable to certain section," Mohan said. The executive committee meeting also demanded that union goverment impose uniform tax on medicines.

The association has demanded that their resolutions be considered by the government while framing "pharma policy".

He said AIOCD had already succeeded in bringing about uniformity in the prices of the medicines by getting drug companies to print "MRP inclusive of all taxes" on all medicines.

The association said that some unscrupulous traders were dealing in medicines without proper license. "Amendments should be made to Drugs and Cosmetics Act to curb such practices," he added.