Pay more to import high-end cars, motorcycles

Bangladesh is raising the supplementary duty on a number of vehicles, including high-end motor vehicles, Jeeps and motorcycles.

Duties on high-end luxury vehicles and Jeeps were imposed to regulate the import of luxury goods, save foreign currency and rebuild a post-pandemic economy, according to budget documents.

The new budget also proposes a 100 percent supplementary duty on the import of four-stroke motorcycles and a 250 percent duty on the import of two-stroke motorcycles with engine capacity over 250 cc. Previously, there was a 60 percent duty on four-stroke motorcycles up to 250 cc and a 250 percent duty for two-stroke bikes.

On the other hand, the government cut customs duties on microbuses and realigned the customs structure of environmentally-friendly hybrid cars.

Bangladesh hopes to incentivise the use of the microbus as an alternative to other local vehicles such as Nosimon and Leguna, which the government described as "accident-prone".