Death Marketing -2

Bidi factory owners’ move to mislead NBR

Bangladesh Bidi Factory Owners’ Association (BBFOA) has met with the National Board of Revenue (NBR) in guise of small industries on March 30, 2016. The BBFOA has urged the NBR to consider four particular issues marking the National Budget of 2016 – 17 fiscal years. The issues are - reducing tax rate on bidi, removing the fourth slab on cigarettes or to decide Tk 5 for each of the cigarette sticks, settling the minimum cigarette tax to 70% following the DCTC article 6, and finally to call off the imposed advance income tax from bidi. Though the FCTC article recommends settling tax to 70% for all types of tobacco products, the BBFOA delegates told the NBR that the tax will be imposed on cigarette only. The BBFOA is misleading the government, NBR and other quarters for years to get a reduced tax on bidi. At least 70 percent tax, in the upcoming budget, should be imposed on all types of tobacco products including this one which is the cheapest in the world