Mobile Phone Traders Block Agargaon Intersection, Protest BTRC and NEIR System Demanding Tax Cuts

Mobile phone traders in Dhaka staged a significant demonstration and sit-in today, leading to major traffic disruptions, to protest against proposed policies including the National Equipment Identity Register (NEIR) system and high import taxes.

Protesters gathered in a sit-in demonstration in front of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) building in Agargaon, starting around 10:00 am. Another group blocked the Agargaon intersection, severely disrupting traffic. The demonstration was ongoing as of 12:30 pm.

The protest was held under the banner of the "Mobile Business Community Bangladesh."The traders demanded reforms to the proposed NEIR system implementation, unrestricted access to mobile phone imports, lower import taxes and more favorable business conditions.

The traders also observed a self-described "nationwide shutdown" to press their demands. A shop owner claimed that high added taxes applied to the base price of phones make the retail price excessively high, leading to business losses. Protesters argued that the new policies would negatively affect hundreds of thousands of traders and would benefit only a specific group of businesses, ultimately increasing prices for consumers.

The NEIR system, scheduled to be implemented on December 16, is designed to identify and block stolen or unauthorized mobile phones using their unique IMEI numbers.

The traders claimed the rollout of the NEIR system would negatively impact their livelihoods and increase costs. The traffic disruption caused significant inconvenience, with commuters like engineer Sahidul Islam reporting being stuck on the road for over an hour and a half.