No changes to SIM tax, supplementary duty in next budget

There will be no changes to supplementary duty on mobile uses, plus SIM and replacement tax rates in the upcoming budget, according to the NBR budget proposal. The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has already proposed Tk100 as SIM tax and Tk100 as SIM replacement tax to the Finance Ministry in the next budget. At the same time, NBR also proposed to impose a 5% supplementary duty on services provided through mobile communication in the budget. In the budget of Fiscal Year 2015-16, the government first proposed to impose supplementary duty on services provided through mobile communication. Currently, mobile operators are paying Tk100 as tax on Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) cards. The government fixed Tk100 as both issuance and replacement taxes for the modules in last year budget. Meanwhile, the Association of Mobile Telecom Operators of Bangladesh (AMTOB) urged the revenue authority to withdraw VAT on mobile internet services in the national budget for Fiscal Year 2017-18. The association also urged the government to withdraw the tax and replacement fees on SIM cards. “The SIM tax should be removed to ensure better affordability,” said TIM Nurul Kabir, AMTOB secretary general. “Records show that reduction in SIM tax has resulted in market growth.” The mobile operators also demanded removal of 1% surcharge on mobile usage and reduction in corporate tax to 35% from the existing 45%.