United News of Bangladesh

In a major relief for patients suffering from cardiovascular and renal diseases, the government has announced extensive tax and Value-Added Tax (VAT) exemptions on cardiac stents, dialysis filters, and other life-saving medical equipment in the proposed national budget for FY 2026-27. Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury placed the proposed budget in parliament on Thursday. The budget proposal seeks to completely withdraw the 10 percent VAT imposed at the supply level on cardiac stents. Following this tax exemption, the price of each stent is expected to drop by approximately Tk 20,000, significantly reducing the financial burden of critical cardiac surgeries. Similarly, the government has moved to ease the medical costs for kidney patients by completely withdrawing the 15 percent VAT and 5 percent Advance Tax (AT) on the import of dialysis filters. This will notably reduce the retail price of dialysis filters, bringing down the average cost of a single regular dialysis session by around Tk 800 for patients. Furthermore, the existing 7.5 percent Advance Tax on the import of hemodialysis blood tubing sets—another crucial component used in kidney failure treatments—has also been completely withdrawn.