SWABI, Sept 7: Growers organizations in Swabi have said that imposition of a development cess on tobacco had put an additional burden of Rs60 million on growers.

Talking to Dawn, the Ittehad-i-Kashtkaran, Swabi, and Anjuman-i-Kashtkaran, NWFP, said following rejection of a bill on tobacco cess by the provincial assembly on September 2, the money collected from growers in this head should be returned.

They said with the rejection of the bill, the provincial government had been deprived of about Rs95 million, as the benefit had now been passed on to the buyers, especially the small cigarette manufactures and tobacco entrepreneurs.

Ismail Jan Khan, a growers’ leader, said the tax was imposed on buyers, but they shifted the burden to growers and did not purchase tobacco from them according to the tobacco marketing law, MLO 487.