Dhaka: The Council of Advisers, during its inaugural meeting of the year, approved the draft National Urban Policy 2025 and decided to notably reduce customs duties and overall tax incidence on mobile phone imports and local manufacturing. The government's decisions aim to enhance planned urban development, strengthen the domestic mobile industry, and make handsets more affordable for consumers.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus chaired the meeting held at his Tejgaon office. Following the meeting, Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam briefed the media at the Foreign Service Academy. He highlighted that 33 percent of the country's population resides in urban areas, contributing 62 percent to the GDP. The government's approval of the National Urban Policy 2025 marks a significant step towards ensuring planned, inclusive, and sustainable urban development.
Regarding tax reductions on mobile phones, Shafiqul Alam stated that customs duty on imported mobile phones has been lowered from 25 percent to 10 percent. For locally manufactured phones, the duty was reduced from 10 percent to 5 percent. Consequently, the overall tax incidence on imported mobile phones will decrease from 61.80 percent to 43.43 percent, with a significant decline for locally manufactured phones as well.
The government anticipates that these measures will expand Bangladesh's mobile phone industry, attract investors to local manufacturing, reduce prices, and deter the influx of used and refurbished phones from abroad, which could harm consumers and result in revenue loss for the government.
Furthermore, the Council of Advisers discussed the state-arranged funeral and burial of former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia, expressing gratitude to all authorities involved for ensuring security and managing the arrangements with dignity.
Addressing the Bangladesh Labour (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025, Shafiqul Alam mentioned that a review committee has been formed to address complaints regarding certain provisions of the labour law. The committee will examine the law, identify inconsistencies, and report back to the Council of Advisers promptly.
The council also discussed Hajj management, noting few complaints from government-managed pilgrims but recognizing issues with private Hajj agencies. Therefore, they explored ways to improve overall Hajj management and ensure accountability for negligence.
Deputy Press Secretary Mohammad Abul Kalam Azad Majumder and Senior Assistant Press Secretary Foyez Ahammad attended the briefing.