Leaders of Bangladesh Tanners Association (BTA) on Sunday placed some proposals before the government to help promote the country's tannery industry.
At a meeting with Finance Minister AMA Muhith at his secretariat office, the association leaders also demanded that the government provide them with some facilities for tanning rawhides and skins.
The facilities include reduction in value added tax (VAT) on chemical import to 7.5 per cent from existing 15 per cent, continuation of export subsidy on leather export for five more years, providing seven to 10 years tax holiday facility to encourage investment in Leather Industrial City at Savar, and providing bond facility for Leather Industrial City.
BTA chairman Shaheen Ahamed led the delegation at the meeting.
Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed and chairman of National Board of Revenue (NBR) Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan also attended the meeting.
Meanwhile, leaders of Bangladesh Bidi Shilpa Malik Samity (BBSMS) also met with the finance minister on the day and urged the government not to treat them differently as against cigarette makers and reduce 'high taxes' on the industry.
A delegation of BBSMS led by its president Bijoy Krishna also expressed concern over the government's move to close the bidi industry by next three years.
The association leaders in a written letter to the minister mentioned that due to imposition of high taxes in the budget for the current fiscal year, prices of bidi have gone up by Tk 5.40 while low-cost cigarette by Tk 4.0 per packet. The prices of premium brand cigarettes did not also see any rise, it alleged.
They said the duty on bidi in Bangladesh is 18 times higher than that of India. The duty is Tk 14 in case of 1,000 sticks of bidi in India, but it is Tk 252.50 in Bangladesh.
They demanded levying of duty on bidi in Bangladesh like that of India.
© 2024 - All Rights with The Financial Express
