The Bangladesh Automobile Workshop Owners’ Association yesterday demanded exemption of the automobile workshops from value added tax (VAT) in the coming budget.

In a press conference held at a city restaurant, the leaders of the association said they would begin all-out agitation if the VAT is not withdrawn In the next budget.

They also demanded some separate areas for automobile workshop in Dhaka and other big cities, arrangement of mandatory mechanical training system by car exporting companies like Toyota. Datsun. Nissan and Mitsubishi.

Harun ar-Rashid. president of the association, addressed the conference, while Khalr Uddin Montu. general secretary of the association, was present.

In his written speech. Harun demanded allocation of Tk 25 crore for training and human resource development in the automobile workshop sector.

"The government Is charging 15 per cent VAT over 33 per cent of any bill, which is a burden for us." he commented.

He alleged that a high official of the National Board of Revenue had claimed Tk 5 lakh as bribe to reduce the VAT on automobile workshops.

He claimed that the government was earning about Tk one thousand crore from the remittance of automobile labourers working abroad who took training from workshops here. But the government was doing nothing for the welfare of the automobile workers, he lamented.

There are about ten thousand automobile workshops all over the country and about 15 lakh people belong to this sector. he claimed