Nepali Congress demands rollback of customs duty on India border imports

The Nepali Congress has strongly opposed the government’s recent decision to impose customs duty on goods worth more than NPR 100 imported by border residents from India. The party described the move as unjust, impractical, and harmful to low-income groups such as farmers and labourers, who rely on cheaper goods across the border for survival.

Kathmandu: Opposition Nepali Congress on Sunday called on the government to immediately withdraw the decision to impose customs duty on importing goods from India by people residing in the border area .

“The government’s recent decision is a blow to social justice and national unity,” said a statement issued by the Nepali Congress.

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The government has made it mandatory to charge customs duty on goods worth more than NPR 100 imported by people residing in the border area since mid-April 2026.

Nepali Congress said that “its serious attention has been drawn towards the recent decision made by the government to impose customs duty on daily necessities and household goods worth more than NPR 100 being imported by the people of the border area.”

The party has called on the government to immediately withdraw the decision and also reduce the tax applied on food grains, clothing and other daily necessary goods.

Such anti-people, impractical and insensitive decisions of the government are a big blow to the people who are already suffering from economic crisis due to growing inflation, the party said.

People are managing their livelihood by bringing daily necessity goods at a lower price from India, and the decision mainly affects the lower income groups, such as farmers and labourers residing in the southern borders of Nepal, said the statement signed by Nepali Congress spokesperson Devraj Chalise.