Telecom operators, ISPs asked to share digital ad spending info
The telecom regulator in Bangladesh yesterday directed mobile network operators and internet service providers (ISPs) to furnish it with information about their spending on digital advertisements on different social media platforms in 2021.
In a letter, the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) said it noticed that digital ads are running on social media platforms such as Google, WhatsApp, Yahoo, Amazon, YouTube, Facebook, and Imo.
The operators have been given 10 days to provide information on their digital advertising expenditure from January to December of 2021.
"We are collecting the information to ensure a proper revenue collection for the government," Subrata Roy Maitra, vice-chairman of the commission, told The Daily Star.
"This will also ensure transparency."
The operators will have to cite the names of payment channels as well.
In another development, global tech giants came under the tax net from the current fiscal year as the government made the submission of returns mandatory for the firms that have no physical presence in Bangladesh but are doing business here.
Last year, Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Microsoft received the value-added tax registration, enabling the National Board of Revenue to ensure compliance.
In October 2021, the High Court ordered the government to take steps to collect taxes, VAT and other charges on the revenues generated by the companies in the country.
Comments