No more 'free ride' for MPs
Finance Minister Abul Hasan Mahmood Ali today proposed ending the duty-free privilege of lawmakers on importing cars that they have been enjoying since 1988.
If approved, they will have to pay a 25 percent import duty on imported cars.
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In the 2024-25 fiscal budget speech, the finance minister said, "If any person imports a car from abroad they have to pay 25 percent of import duty, 15 percent of VAT, five percent of advance tax and about 400 to 500 percent supplementary duty."
The lawmakers enjoy a duty-free facility for vehicle imports as the Members of Parliament (Remuneration and Allowances) Order, 1973 (President's Order).
The president's order reads, "A member shall be entitled to import, free of customs duty, (value-added tax), development surcharge, and import permit fee, during the whole of his term of office, one (car, jeep, or microbus) of such specification, and on such conditions as the government may specify in this behalf."
Today, Mahmood Ali proposed necessary amendments to the Member of Parliament Order 1973.
According to 15 years of import data by the National Board of Revenue, lawmakers imported 572 vehicles under duty-free facilities between January 2009 and April 15, 2024.
As per the data, the customs value of these vehicles has been estimated at Tk 397.38 crore. According to NBR, the government has given at least Tk 5,147 crore of revenue concession on these vehicles.
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