PESHAWAR, Aug 15: The NWFP government has paid Rs21 billion to the federal government as central excise duty on tobacco, but the Centre has not paid back the province’s share.

The cigarettes manufacturing companies are not even paying full amount of the 2 per cent tobacco cess to NWFP government.

This was disclosed by the provincial minister for revenue excise and taxation, Aminullah Khan Gandapur, while addressing a seminar on tobacco in Swabi at the PTV World News Centre Wednesday.

He said that tobacco was being cultivated on 68 thousand hectre in the NWFP but farmers remained deprived of getting their due share of the actual cost.

He said that tobacco growers were facing numerous problems including heavy load of taxes and non-cooperative attitude of cigarette manufacturing companies regarding payment of their prices. He said due to such reasons the problems of tobacco growers have further been aggravated.

Mr Gandapur also assured the tobacco growers that their problems would be brought into the notice of the federal government and solid steps would be taken to redress them.