Parliament passes surcharge bill on mobile phone uses

Parliament today passed “Development Surcharge and Levy (Impose and Collection)” bill aiming at collecting one percent surcharge on the use of mobile phone services.

While placing the bill in the parliament, Finance Minister AMA Muhith informed the House that it would be possible to collect Tk 140 crore from the surcharge.

The revenue collected under this category will be spent for the development in education sector of the country, the minister said.

The bill was passed by voice vote.

Finance minister first raised the idea of imposing surcharge on the use of mobile phones and spending it for the development of the education sector while placing national budget for the fiscal 2015-16 in parliament.

While placing the bill, Muhith said if the one percent surcharge is imposed on the mobile phone services it would not be a burden on the users.

The House later passed another bill titled “Bangladesh Coinage Order (amendment) Bill-2015” seeking to make the 5-taka note as government note.

Moved by the finance minister, the bill was passed by voice vote.

In the objectives of the bill, the minister stated that The Bangladesh Coinage Order was amended in 1989 after 19 long years to bring the 2-taka coin under the jurisdiction of the government.

LOCAL GOVT BILL PLACED IN PARLIAMENT

LGRD Minister Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain also placed a bill in the parliament for holding the municipality polls for the post of mayor under party banner - opening the way for the country’s registered political parties to participate in the polls directly.

So far the political parties could not nominate any candidate and allow them to use their parliamentary electoral symbols in the local polls. They could only extend their support to a particular candidate.

According to the bill, the election for the councilor posts however will be held as previously – in effect meaning those candidates who are able to secure a party’s backing will only be deprived from using their registered election symbol.

The bill titled “Local Government (municipality) Further Amendment Bill-2015” was sent to the parliamentary standing committee on LGRD for further scrutiny.

The Committee was asked to submit its report within three working days.

President Abdul Hamid on November 2 promulgated an ordinance amending the local government law for holding municipality polls in a partisan manner.

But the bill placed in the parliament that made it clear that the councilor posts will be contested as before.

Earlier on October 12, the cabinet approved the drafts of the law that will allow registered political parties to nominate candidates in the local body elections.

According to EC officials, elections to around 245 out of 317 municipalities are likely to be held in December and the rest in phases later. Polls schedule may be declared by the end of November.

In the January 2011 municipal elections, the BNP-backed candidates won more mayoral posts than their AL-supported rivals.