Finance Minister Abul Hasan Mahmud Ali during the proposed budget announcement increased supplementary duty on mobile phone calls and internet services.

Effective immediately, the supplementary duty has been raised by 5 percent, bringing the total VAT on talk time and internet services to 20 percent from the previous 15 percent. This increase will be applied at the time of mobile phone recharge.

This adjustment is expected to raise the cost of mobile phone calls and internet usage for all users. Mobile phones are widely used across various socioeconomic classes, serving as a primary means of communication and access to social media platforms such as Facebook, Messenger, and WhatsApp. Consequently, the increase in supplementary duty will affect the cost of these services.

Currently, to obtain 100 taka worth of talk time, consumers must recharge 133 taka and 25 paisa. With the new increase, this amount will rise to 139 taka for the same 100 taka talk time. For a recharge of 100 taka, 28 taka will now be deducted as duty-tax, leaving the customer with talk time equivalent to the remaining 72 taka.

BDST: 1710 HRS, JUNE 6, 2024
MSK