Staff Reporter :
About 4,200 reconditioned vehicles are remaining stranded at the Chittagong, Mongla and Benapole ports, as the importers are reluctant to take delivery of the vehicles due to tax complexity, insiders said.
These cars were imported by service holders, travelers, students and businessmen, who went abroad for study, training and business purposes.
The owners of the vehicles did not take delivery of their cars from ports due to high tax.
Bangladesh Reconditioned Vehicles Importers and Dealers Association (BARVIDA) President MA Hamid Sharif said that most of the cars were imported in violation of the import laws of the country. The importers need clearance certificates to be issued by the commerce ministry, but they did not do it.
“To avoid high tax, the car owners deliberately did not take delivery of their vehicles from the port authorities and in this way a huge number of cars have been lying uncared in the port for a long time”, said BARVIDA president.
To avoid the situation, he suggested the government to sell this type of cars on auction.
Talking about the recent business and the upcoming budget fro fiscal 2015-16, the BARVIDA president demanded for reducing the import duty on hybrid cars as they are more eco-friendly than traditional cars. The car association leader explained that hybrid cars are fuel-efficient and eco-friendly, but the problem is the high price which keeps consumers from buying them.
“High import duty is the reason behind the higher price. So, if the government reduces the import duty, the prices of hybrid cars will come down,” said the Barvida president. He said it would also reduce pressure on fuel and energy, especially gas, which could be used for the industrial production.
About 4,200 reconditioned vehicles are remaining stranded at the Chittagong, Mongla and Benapole ports, as the importers are reluctant to take delivery of the vehicles due to tax complexity, insiders said.
These cars were imported by service holders, travelers, students and businessmen, who went abroad for study, training and business purposes.
The owners of the vehicles did not take delivery of their cars from ports due to high tax.
Bangladesh Reconditioned Vehicles Importers and Dealers Association (BARVIDA) President MA Hamid Sharif said that most of the cars were imported in violation of the import laws of the country. The importers need clearance certificates to be issued by the commerce ministry, but they did not do it.
“To avoid high tax, the car owners deliberately did not take delivery of their vehicles from the port authorities and in this way a huge number of cars have been lying uncared in the port for a long time”, said BARVIDA president.
To avoid the situation, he suggested the government to sell this type of cars on auction.
Talking about the recent business and the upcoming budget fro fiscal 2015-16, the BARVIDA president demanded for reducing the import duty on hybrid cars as they are more eco-friendly than traditional cars. The car association leader explained that hybrid cars are fuel-efficient and eco-friendly, but the problem is the high price which keeps consumers from buying them.
“High import duty is the reason behind the higher price. So, if the government reduces the import duty, the prices of hybrid cars will come down,” said the Barvida president. He said it would also reduce pressure on fuel and energy, especially gas, which could be used for the industrial production.
