Ctg Chamber calls for tax reduction on goods transport

The imposition of additional tax on trucks and covered vans in the current fiscal year will increase the costs of traders and directly affect the prices of goods.

The government is trying to reduce inflation and the cost of doing business, but the government’s desired goal cannot be achieved by imposing additional taxes on this sector, said Chattogram Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) President Mohammad Amirul Haque on Monday.

He made the remarks at a view- sharing meeting with the Inter-District Goods Transport Organization Truck and Covered Van Owners’ Association at the chamber office on Sunday.

Leaders of the Inter-District Goods Transport Organization Truck and Covered Van Owners’ Association said that in addition to transporting goods for import-export trade, this sector also transports baby food, raw materials for the pharmaceutical industry and government relief in emergency disaster situations.

Although the advance income tax (AIT) for trucks and covered vans was determined by issuing SROs until 2019, in the past few fiscal years, the AIT has been determined arbitrarily only through the executive order of the NBR.

In the current fiscal year FY27, the AIT has been fixed at Tk 35,000 instead of Tk 24,000 for drum trucks, open trucks and 12-wheelers, Tk 30,000 instead of Tk16,000 for trucks and covered vans weighing more than 5 tons, Tk 15,000 instead of Tk 9,500for trucks and covered vans weighing more than 1.5 tons, and Tk 7,500 instead of Tk 4,000 for trucks and covered vans weighing less than 1.5 tons.

The leaders called on the chamber to lobby the concerned government departments to abolish the unreasonable tax rate and reduce the income tax by Tk 10,000 and tax token by 50 percent on all vehicles.

In the meeting, the chamber’s vice-president Mohammad Mosiul Alam Swapan, director Md. Zahidul Hasan, Asad Iftekhar, Mohammad Shafiul Alam (Badsha), Vice-Presidents of Inter-District Goods Transport Organization Truck and Covered Van Owners Association AKM Nabiul Haque Sumon and Azharul Haque Azad, Acting General Secretary Arifur Rahman Rubel, were present.