Govt Slashes Mobile Phone Import Tax to Combat Smuggling and Boost Local Assembly

In a major move to stabilize the digital handset market, the interim government has significantly reduced the import tax on mobile phones. The total tax incidence on imported handsets has been lowered from 61% to 43.4%, effective immediately.

The decision was disclosed today by Shafiqul Alam, Press Secretary to the Chief Adviser, during a briefing at the Foreign Service Academy. The announcement followed a high-level meeting of the Advisory Council.

The cumulative tax has been slashed to 43.4% (down from 61%) to narrow the price gap between official and unofficial products.

To further support the "Made in Bangladesh" initiative, the import duty on parts for locally assembled mobile phones has been halved, dropping from 10% to 5%.

The primary goal of this tax restructuring is to curb the rampant trade of unofficial and smuggled handsets, which deprives the state of revenue and poses security risks.

By making official imports more affordable and incentivizing local assembly, the government aims to ensure that consumers have access to authentic devices with valid warranties while fostering the growth of the domestic electronics industry.