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Tuesday, 19.03.2024
eGovernment Forschung seit 2001 | eGovernment Research since 2001

The government plans to deliver all digital services through mobile phone by 2021, but in reality, they have increased customs duty on mobile handsets in the four consecutive fiscal years including the proposed budget for 2017-18.

According to the country's seventh five-year plan, all e-governance services will be available on mobile platform. Finance Minister AMA Muhith in his budget presentation also reiterated the government's importance on digitisation.

But in the budget, 10 percent customs duty on import of mobile handsets has been proposed from existing 5 percent, industry insiders said, adding that this was a clear contradiction that might disrupt government's planned digitisation process.

However, Zunaid Ahmed Palak, state minister for ICT, said this could create a short time problem. A solution is coming as finance minister also recommended cutting customs duty on materials for assembling the handsets, he said.

“Within a few years, we will be able to use handsets produced by us; then, cheap handsets will be available in the country,” added Palak.

However, Ahsan H Mansur, executive director of Policy Research Institute, said telecommunication is the most productive sector that shouldn't be hampered. “Let them grow first, revenue will come next.”

Meanwhile, both mobile phone operators and importers feared incremental customs duty on import of mobile handsets might impact the industry and ultimately government's digitisation process.

Importers said the impact of new customs duty will be felt within a week.

TIM Nurul Kabir, secretary general of the Association of Mobile Telecom Operators of Bangladesh, said, “We are frustrated at the taxation proposal, which will be an obstacle to digitisation.”

Ruhul Alam Al Mahbub Manik, president of Bangladesh Mobile Phone Importers Association, said they are also interested to establish mobile assembling plants. But it takes more than a year to establish a plant and an increase in duty will penalise end users.

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Autor(en)/Author(s): Muhammad Zahidul Islam

Quelle/Source: The Daily Star, 03.06.2017

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