Bangladesh Mobile Phone Consumers Association organised a human chain protest in Dhaka on Sunday (12 January), vehemently opposing the newly imposed Value Added Tax (VAT) and supplementary duty on mobile and internet services.
Held in front of the National Press Club, protestors cautioned the government of intensified actions, including a possible siege of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) office, should the decision not be rescinded within a week.
During the demonstration, Aminul Hakim, president of the Bangladesh Internet Governance Forum and Internet Infrastructure Gateway (IIG), expressed grave concerns regarding the detrimental impact on broadband services.
"Broadband internet, largely driven by local entrepreneurs, is now under threat. The imposition of a 10% supplementary duty and VAT will harm both consumers and the industry," he remarked, adding that a failure to revoke the decision would prompt a larger protest.
Imdadul Haque, president of the Internet Service Providers Association of Bangladesh (ISPAB), emphasised the potential harm to small entrepreneurs and the wider consumer base, warning, "This tax increase will discourage internet use and widen the digital divide."
Khalid Abu Naser, a former director of the Bangladesh Competition Commission, criticised the decision, highlighting the inconvenience to citizens and unnecessary complications for the government. "Hasty decisions like this must be reversed promptly," he urged.
Fahim Mashroor, a technologist and former president of the Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS), condemned the lack of stakeholder consultation preceding the tax hike.
"This unilateral decision reflects an authoritarian approach. Increased taxes will stifle the telecom and internet sectors, hinder new entrepreneurship, and render these services unaffordable for ordinary citizens," he said.
