Duty relief on date imports

The interim government has lowered the duty on date imports before Ramadan, bringing the rate down from 25 percent to 15 percent. Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam gave the details after the Advisory Council meeting on Thursday. Speaking at a briefing at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka, he said the fasting month is expected to begin in the second half of February, prompting the administration to ease import taxes on dates, bdnews24 reports.

The total charge on dates now stands at 40.7 percent, down from 52.2 percent, following the 10 percent reduction in import duty.

Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus also cleared the withdrawal of VAT on the metro rail service, Shafiqul said.

"Metro rail VAT has been removed, leading to a Tk 400 million yearly loss," he added.

Under the VAT law, any air-conditioned rail service carries 15 percent VAT. The metro rail is fully air-conditioned and classed as public transport.

Since its launch, VAT, however, has not been applied at the request of the supervising body, Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL).