Business Desk :
Bangladesh BidiSramik Federation on Sunday organized post-budget press conference at National Press Club to press home their eight-point demand that includes reducing bidi prices to Tk 10 from Tk 14 after cutting supplementary duty on the industry, says a press release.
Federation president MK Bangali read out a written statement while joint secretary Md. HarikHossain presided over the conference. Executive President Amin Uddin BSC, General Secretary AbdurRahman, co-secretary PranabDathan, organizing secretary AbulHasnatLavlu, among others, were present. Hundreds of the workers from different parts of the country participated in the program.
In the written speech MK Bangali said, “In the proposed budget for the fiscal year 2019-2020, illogical duty has been imposed on Bidi which is four times the duty on the low-end cigarettes. Bidi’s duty has been increased by 24.2 percent while the duty on the low-cost cigarettes has been hiked only by 5.71 percent. Bidi’s supplementary duty has been increased from 30% to 35%, on the other hand, multinational companies do not see any spike in supplementary duty on low-end and expensive cigarettes.
He said, “The previous Finance Minister has set the timeline for closure of the Bidi industry by 2030. But cigarette industry has been given time till 2040. Such policy is inhumane for a domestic industry like Bidi.”
‘Our neighboring India is protecting Bidi industry by announcing it as a cottage industry. Considering the employment of the poor people, the tax on biri in the neighboring country is tolerable. In India, duty on every thousand bidi is only Tk 14 where we have to pay Tk 313.60 in Bangladesh. That is conspiracy to terminate our industry.
Bangladesh BidiSramik Federation on Sunday organized post-budget press conference at National Press Club to press home their eight-point demand that includes reducing bidi prices to Tk 10 from Tk 14 after cutting supplementary duty on the industry, says a press release.
Federation president MK Bangali read out a written statement while joint secretary Md. HarikHossain presided over the conference. Executive President Amin Uddin BSC, General Secretary AbdurRahman, co-secretary PranabDathan, organizing secretary AbulHasnatLavlu, among others, were present. Hundreds of the workers from different parts of the country participated in the program.
In the written speech MK Bangali said, “In the proposed budget for the fiscal year 2019-2020, illogical duty has been imposed on Bidi which is four times the duty on the low-end cigarettes. Bidi’s duty has been increased by 24.2 percent while the duty on the low-cost cigarettes has been hiked only by 5.71 percent. Bidi’s supplementary duty has been increased from 30% to 35%, on the other hand, multinational companies do not see any spike in supplementary duty on low-end and expensive cigarettes.
He said, “The previous Finance Minister has set the timeline for closure of the Bidi industry by 2030. But cigarette industry has been given time till 2040. Such policy is inhumane for a domestic industry like Bidi.”
‘Our neighboring India is protecting Bidi industry by announcing it as a cottage industry. Considering the employment of the poor people, the tax on biri in the neighboring country is tolerable. In India, duty on every thousand bidi is only Tk 14 where we have to pay Tk 313.60 in Bangladesh. That is conspiracy to terminate our industry.
