A 10 percent supplementary duty on the import of optical fiber cable has been proposed in the new budget for FY 22-23. Md Imdadul Hoque, President of Internet Service Providers Association of Bangladesh (ISPAB).
With prices of mobile phones and broadband internet set to go up in the next fiscal year, the proposed budget would not be favourable to further development of the ICT sector, experts have said.
The government is likely to hike value-added tax (VAT) on broadband internet and impose a 5 per cent VAT on handsets at retail in the upcoming budget, which will increase handset and internet prices from next fiscal year.