The government has recommended waiving the 15 per cent VAT applicable at the laptop import stage in FY2024-25 and proposed to increase the customs duty from 5 per cent to 10 per cent.
"This will reduce the total tax incidence from 31 per cent to 20.50 per cent," Finance Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali said in parliament on Thursday while presenting the proposed Tk 7,97,000 crore national budget for FY25.
“In order to implement the Smart Bangladesh slogan envisaged by our government, we need to make laptop computer and similar products available to the tech savvy workforce. We also need to curb the fake/refurbished laptops mushrooming in the market,” said the minister.
He recommended the moves “to achieve these objectives and to protect the buyers from counterfeit products”.
Currently, importers are required to pay a total of 31 per cent in import tariffs and taxes, including 5 per cent as customs duty.
