Cellphone operators demand withdrawal of HS code
Tuesday, 11 November 2008
FE Report
The country's six cellphone operators have demanded withdrawal of the recently introduced HS code, under which the customs authority is charging duties at the rate of 44 per cent on import of telecommunication software instead of 3.0 per cent previously.
The demand of the operators came at a parley between the Association of Mobile Telecom Operators in Bangladesh (AMTOB) and the chairman of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) Md Abdul Mazid last week.
"We have demanded withdrawal of the new HS (Harmonised System) code considering the interest of the sector's growth," secretary general of the AMTOB Khalid Hasan told the FE on Sunday.
The country's cell phone operators have been importing telecommunication equipment and software under the HS code 8523.29.12 and 8523.40.12 with the duty structure of 3.0 per cent until the issuance of a fresh SRO changing the HS code recently.
The customs authority has already started to assess these items under the new HS code 8523.40.19 which correspond to 44 per cent duty (25 per cent customs duty and other taxes) instead of 3.0 per cent previously causing a dispute between the NBR and the operators, sources said.
The country's six cellphone operators have demanded withdrawal of the recently introduced HS code, under which the customs authority is charging duties at the rate of 44 per cent on import of telecommunication software instead of 3.0 per cent previously.
The demand of the operators came at a parley between the Association of Mobile Telecom Operators in Bangladesh (AMTOB) and the chairman of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) Md Abdul Mazid last week.
"We have demanded withdrawal of the new HS (Harmonised System) code considering the interest of the sector's growth," secretary general of the AMTOB Khalid Hasan told the FE on Sunday.
The country's cell phone operators have been importing telecommunication equipment and software under the HS code 8523.29.12 and 8523.40.12 with the duty structure of 3.0 per cent until the issuance of a fresh SRO changing the HS code recently.
The customs authority has already started to assess these items under the new HS code 8523.40.19 which correspond to 44 per cent duty (25 per cent customs duty and other taxes) instead of 3.0 per cent previously causing a dispute between the NBR and the operators, sources said.