Workers demand tax cut on bidi to save industry

Bogura District Bidi Workers Union formed a human chain on Wednesday demanding the safeguard of the bidi industry from the aggression of foreign multinational tobacco companies and a reduction in the tariff imposed on bidi in the upcoming fiscal.

Thousands of bidi workers gathered in front of the Bogura Customs office a human chain there at around 11:00am.

Addressing the human chain, the Bidi workers’ leders demanded withdrawal of tax on bidis, increasing the working day of bidi workers, mandatory for licensed bidi factories to hoist banderols, increasing the price of low quality cigarettes and stoping the production and sale of fake bidis. After the human chain, the leaders of the bidi workers handed a memorandum over to the chairman of National Board of Revenue through the Assistant Commissioner of Bogura Customs, Excise and VAT Department.

Speakers said, “Millions of workers including the helpless, disadvantaged, extremely poor, physically handicapped and widows make a living by working in the bidi sector.

But the country’s ancient labor-intensive industry is being destroyed by the conspiracy of foreign multinational companies.

Multinational companies were smuggling thousands of crores of rupees abroad by burning the lungs of the people of this country. Some corrupt local officials are taking advantage of foreign multinational companies and imposing excessive taxes on bidis.

Bidi owners are being forced to close their factories as they cannot bear the burden of this exorbitant tax, he said

Speakers also said, “Some unscrupulous bureaucrats are conspiring to increase tariffs on bidis to give foreign cigarette companies a monopoly. Due to the increase in tariffs, unscrupulous traders are making fake bidis and marketing them to evade the tariff.

The government is being deprived of huge amount of revenue. It is even creating confusion in the minds of the people by hiding the real number of bidi workers to destroy the bidi industry and workers. We strongly condemn and protest against this, they said.

Vice-president of Bangladesh Bidi Shramik Federation Nazim Uddin in the chair, its Vice-president Anower Hossain, Lutfur Rahman, General Secretary Harik Hossain, Joint Secretary Abdul Gofur leaders Abul Hasnat Lavlu, Shamim Islam, addressed the programme, among others.