Shop owners press for package VAT

Shop owners Saturday demanded the government keep the package VAT for small retailers and traders unchanged in the proposed budget for 2015-16 fiscal.

The demand came at a press conference, organised by Bangladesh Dokan Malik Samity, an association of shop owners, in the city, reports UNB.

Among others, Samity president SA Kader Kiron, its secretary general Shah Alam Khandakar and president of Dhaka Metropolitan Shop Owners' Association Tawfique spoke at the press conference.

Reading out a written statement at the press conference, Tawfique Ehsan said in the proposed budget, the package VAT for the retailers and small traders of Dhaka and Chittagong city corporations has been increased to Tk 14,000 from Tk 11,000 while the package VAT has been increased to Tk 10,000 from Tk 8,000 for other city corporations and Tk 7,200 and Tk 3,600 have been proposed for municipalities and other areas of the country respectively.

Noting that there are 2.5 million shops throughout the country, SA Kader Kiron said any hike in the trade VAT will be a further blow to the shop owners as they suffered huge losses for the political turmoil since January last.

He also demanded canceling the decision to impose VAT on spaces and infrastructure used by small retailers and traders who are under the package VAT.

The government has decided to impose VAT on spaces and infrastructure on 150 sqf the ceiling of which was 300 sqf in the outgoing fiscal.