Government cuts import, production duties for mobile phones

The government has reduced duties on domestically produced and imported mobile phones to lower handset prices.

The decision came during Thursday’s Advisory Council meeting amid calls from the businessmen, announced later by Chief Advisor’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam.

Customs duty on mobile imports has been cut from 25 per cent to 10 per cent, bringing the total import burden -- including advance tax and VAT -- down from 61.80 per cent to 43.43 per cent.

In a parallel move, the government also eased import duties on parts for local phone assemblers, providing additional support for domestic production.