Bangladesh raising mobile phone voice call, text, internet data rates

Mobile phone services are getting costlier as the government has proposed a rise in supplementary duty on the services for FY 2020-21.

Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal sought to drive the duty to 15 percent from 10 percent on services provided through mobile phone SIM or RIM cards. 

Voice call rates, SMS charges and internet data costs will rise once the proposal is approved for the next fiscal year. 

For the outgoing financial year, the duty was raised to 10 percent from 5 percent.

It was lowered to 3 percent once after the introduction of 5 percent duty in 2015-16.

The mobile phone operators say the cost of using their services will in effect rise by a staggering 33.25 percent in total, including 15 percent VAT, 1 percent surcharge, 15 percent duty and other taxes.