Dhaka: The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has announced a significant reduction in customs duty and Advance Income Tax (AIT) on the import of dates, a staple for iftar during the holy month of Ramadan. The initiative aims to make dates more affordable for the general population. According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the NBR has issued two separate orders to decrease customs duty from 25 percent to 15 percent and AIT from 10 percent to 3 percent. Additionally, the existing 5 percent advance tax has been fully waived. This series of tax reductions lowers the total tax burden on date imports from 63.60 percent to 38.70 percent. The reduction in taxes is expected to decrease the import cost of dates by Taka 60 to Taka 100 per kilogram. Consequently, this move is anticipated to increase both the import and supply of dates in the market. The NBR hopes that these measures will help keep the price of dates within reach for the common people during Ramadan.
