Therefore, they urged the authorities to reconsider the issue.
Hossain Satad, director and head of Public and Regulatory Affairs of GP, said the decision to increase supplementary duty will be a burden for the customers and unfavourable to unlocking possibilities of Digital Bangladesh.
“We urge the government to reconsider this decision before implementing in the attribution of our valued customer interest,” he added.
Meanwhile, another mobile operator Robi said it is very unfortunate that the 2 percent minimum tax on its revenue imposed in last year’s budget remained unchanged.
Shahed Alam, chief corporate and regulatory officer of Robi Axiata Limited, said there is still a chance to review the self-defeating tax and hoped the government will take positive decision in this regard.
Apart from these, increasing supplementary duty (SD) by 5 percent on all telecom related services is highly regrettable, he said, adding that the decision would bring further misery to the customers.
In an immediate budget reaction, Banglalink's CEO Erik Aas also came up with same remark. He said an additional 5 percent SD on telecom services will especially affect the less privileged consumers.
Erik Aas urged the government to withdraw the VAT on internet in view of the impact of coronavirus-induced economic crises on internet users.
He also requested the government to reconsider the minimum tax imposed on mobile operators.
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