Proposed duty on mobile phone services
Tarana to write to FM for revision
STAFF REPORTER
State Minister for Posts and Telecommunications Tarana Halim would write letter to the Finance Minister A M A Muhith requesting for the revision of increasing supplementary duty on mobile phone services.
The additional taxation would hamper the growth of mobile phone service among the people..I would write letter to the finance minister,said Tarana Halim.
The state minister revealed it during a meeting with the representatives of cellular phone operators at her ministry office yesterday.
Finance Minister A M A Muhith has proposed five per cent supplementary duty on mobile phone service from the existing three percent in the new fiscal budget place in the Jatiyo Sangsad on Thursday.
Later, in the evening the National Board of Revenue (NBR) issued SRO in favour of the increased supplementary duty and the cellular phone operators have started to impose additional charge.
Speaking about the meeting with the state minister, Association of Mobile Telecom Operators of Bangladesh (AMTOB) Secretary General T I M Nurul Kabir said the move of taxation would hamper the journey of digital Bangladesh.
Mentioning of a letter sent to the finance minister before the announcement of the national budget, Tarana Halim said she had requested the finance minister for not to impose additional duty on mobile phone services.
Initiative of sending another letter to the finance minister(FM), she said: I have prepared another draft (letter) and it would send to him (FM) today saying that mobile industry would be affected if any charge is imposed on mobile phone talk.
