Govt decides to impose 1 pc surcharge on cell phone use

The government has decided to impose a one per cent surcharge on cell phone use. The Cabinet has approved a proposal regarding this on Monday. 'The proposal to impose 1 pc surcharge on services available through a SIM or RIM card provided by mobile phone operators has been approved,' Cabinet Secretary Muhammad Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan told reporters after a Cabinet meeting on Monday. The budget for FY 2014-2015 did not propose to impose a surcharge on cell phone use. Finance Minister AMA Muhith had favoured levying a 15 pc VAT, up from the existing ten, on the import of mobile phones to ‘help the local industry flourish’, according to a news agency.