Breaking with a longstanding practice, Bangladesh parliament on Sunday passed a bill abolishing the special privilege that allowed lawmakers to import cars duty-free.
The Members of Parliament (Remuneration and Allowances Amendment) Bill 2026 was placed in the House by Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Md. Asaduzzaman and was passed by voice vote. Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed was in the chair.
With the passage of the bill, Article 3C of the 1973 order has been repealed, effectively ending the legal provision that entitled MPs to import vehicles without paying duties.
Placing the bill, the law minister said availing such a privilege after being elected representatives of the people "is inconsistent with electoral commitments and creates a visible disparity with ordinary taxpayers".
"The amendment is brought in line with the "visionary approach" of the Leader of the House to reduce public expenditure, enhance transparency and ensure greater equality with citizens<' he adds.
He also notes that, given the current economic realities, it was necessary to reconsider the continuation of such a benefit.
Opposition MP Najibur Rahman welcomed the initiative, saying that the practice of duty-free car import for lawmakers "possibly does not exist anywhere in the world".
Referring to the electoral pledge of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, he told the House that the party had earlier announced
that it would not accept such privileges or plot allocations.
He also argued that the role of the opposition leader should have been acknowledged in the statement of objectives and reasons of the bill.
In response, the law minister says while political statements from parties are part of the broader political process, the bill has been prepared in line with the perspective of the Leader of the House.
However, he adds that the government had no objection to acknowledging the opposition leader's role, subject to consent from the Leader of the House.
The bill was passed swiftly without any amendments, as it was put to a clause-by-clause voice vote and received overwhelming support from members present.
Its passage formally brings to an end a major financial privilege that lawmakers had enjoyed for several decades.
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