Finance Minister AMA Muhith today said he will seriously reconsider the existing VAT on internet usage in the upcoming budget.

“I promise to seriously consider internet usage vat in the next budget as it will be the last budget of my career,” he said at a programme in Dhaka.

This is the first time the finance minister has offered any assurance regarding easing VAT upon internet, which is now 15%.

He was speaking in response to ICT Minister Mustafa Jabbar during an inaugural programme of BASIS SoftExpo 2018 at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre.

“The country might face loss of 100 crore but will gain 1000 crore if vat upon internet usages is lessened,” Minister Jabbar said in the programme.

“Therefore, as a minister myself, I request the finance minister to consider the amount of VAT upon internet usages,” Jabbar said.

The four-day BASIS SoftExpo 2018 kicked off today with the slogan “Designing the Future”, promising to be the country's largest exposition of software and ICT enabled services.

Over 200 companies, including European and Singaporean, are attending about 50 business-to-business matchmaking sessions in the showcase, organisers say.