Concerned people are expecting a technology-friendly budget
BTRC Vice-Chairman Subrata Maitra said that it is possible to collect taxes easily and transparently through telecommunication. On the other hand, Brigadier General (Retd.) SM Farhad, Secretary-General of AMTOB, drew the attention of the authorities not to take the telecom sector to the level of harmful 'tobacco' in terms of collecting VAT.
ISPAB Secretary-General Imdadul Haque said that the implementation of Digital Bangladesh is not possible without the expansion of broadband internet. With these issues in mind, the people concerned hope that the budget that will be presented this year, will people-friendly digital budget.
They said this at a virtual discussion meeting titled 'Our Expectations in Telecommunication and Technology Sector in the Upcoming Budget' organized by Bangladesh Mobile Phone Subscribers Association-AMTOB.
Participating in the discussion conducted by Mohiuddin Ahmed, President of Bangladesh Mobile Phone Subscribers Association, Subrata Maitra, Vice Chairman, Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), said that the telecommunication and technology sector is the only way to collect taxes easily. Maybe this is the reason for what more tax is being collected from this service. I work in the government but at the end of the day I am a customer; No matter what I say, I have to pay taxes. It seems to me that for those who set the tax (NBR), the importance of the telecommunications and technology sector should be taken into consideration by them; not only in tax collection but also in the overall aspect.
Noting that these services have the potential to be further developed, he added that more taxes can be levied if the tax is customer and business-friendly. Considering all aspects, I am also drawing the attention of the government to consider the matter.
During the discussion, AMTOB Secretary General Brigadier General (Retd.) SM Farhad said that although telecommunication is a service sector, the tax on this service is equal to that of tobacco products. At the consumer level 33.25 percent, in case of attachment SIM tax is taka 200, corporate tax is 45 percent. Due to the huge amount of tax, customers are not able to avail of additional services on the one hand, and new connections are not being offered due to additional SIM tax. Investors, on the other hand, are turning away due to high corporate taxes.
In such a situation, there is no alternative to a tax reduction in the forthcoming budget to implement Five-G in the coming days and to assist the government in building a digital Bangladesh, opined the AMTOB Secretary-General.
Speaking on the occasion, ISPAB General Secretary Imdadul Haque said, "Broadband internet expansion is very important to build a digital Bangladesh. "But the reality is that broadband penetration is extremely low. In order to reach the marginal stage of broadband, the tax on all types of devices has to be reduced in order to get the customer connection. SM Nazir Hossain, Vice-president of CAB, said customers have not been getting quality service for a long time. So, first of all, it is very important to ensure quality service. Therefore, all the obstacles in receiving the service must be removed first.
Taking part in the discussion, Kazi Sohag, senior staff reporter of Daily Manabjamin, expressed his displeasure and said that only when the budget comes, discussions are held. He questioned why all the institutions concerned do not discuss tax assessments throughout the year. I think it is very important to create a people-friendly budget with the views of all stakeholders.
Finally, the moderator Mohiuddin Ahmed hoped that the government will surely provide a people-friendly budget in the forthcoming budget considering the interests of consumers and investors to build a digital Bangladesh.
