Import tax right move

I WISH to comment on Opposition Shadow Minister for Treasury and Finance Ian Ling-Stuckey criticising Government for increasing tax on imported goods and feedstock for further processing in PNG.
I believe the Government is right in increasing import taxes, particularly targeting goods and feedstock imported from overseas that can be manufactured in PNG.
For example, wheat floor for making bread. This is a simple stuff that can be processed in PNG.
Apec has opened the closed eyes and minds of Government and the system to look for business opportunities to design, develop, and implement projects such as manufacturing industries to produce feedstock required to further process into finished products in our own country. By building manufacturing industries, entrepreneurs are likely to save their import taxes and keep the money in PNG.
We must be thinking export-driven to grow our economy.
In my simple layman understanding, I can define economic growth of a country as: attitude and behaviour of people towards changing available resources in the country to more-meaningful economic growth and sustainability.
The Government is now opening business opportunities by increasing import taxes.
I encourage entrepreneurs and engineers out there in PNG to make use of your knowledge, skills, and resources to initiate, plan and implement manufacturing industries.
Departments like Commerce and Industry should play a leading role.

YA Curtin