The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has hiked tax on soft drinks by 10 per cent in a bid to stem the abuse of reduced tax rate by making it rational with energy drinks.
The board has issued a Statutory Regulatory Order (SRO) on Tuesday by making the tax hike effective.
With the upward revision, the prices of soft drinks are likely to be increased by Tk 11.5 per litre.
VAT wing of the NBR has instructed all field offices to take stock lot of the companies immediately before releasing fresh consignment.
From now on, soft drinks makers have to pay 25 per cent Supplementary Duty (SD) instead of 15 per cent on production stage.
The increased aims to check abuse of the existing tax benefit by some energy drink producers.
Tax officials alleged that many of the energy drink producers are enjoying reduced tax rate by claiming their beverage as soft drinks.
They said the government will be able to earn Tk 200 million tax in the last two months of the current fiscal year (May-June) with the tax hike.
However, tax on juices and other fruit drinks will remain unchanged.
Food and beverage companies including MM Ispahani, Global Beverage Company Limited, Pran, Transcom, Partex, Akij food and Beverage, Tabani beverage have varieties of carbonated soft drinks in different brand names.
Tax on soft drinks up by 10pc
FE Report | Published: April 24, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00
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