Airlines passengers have been brought under the new tax net in the proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year. National Board of Revenue (NBR) issued a Statutory Regulatory Order (SRO) shortly after Finance Minister AMA Muhith had placed budget proposals in parliament for FY2015-16.
The airline authorities have started charging an extra amount of tax on every ticket at the airport even from those who had bought tickets before issuing the SRO.
Receiving the SRO, all airlines operating from Bangladesh immediately started realising the new tax. Under the NBR directive, airlines are taking excised duty of Tk700 from local and other SAARC country passengers. The amount has been increased from Tk500.
Excise duty to travel Asian countries has been increased to Tk1,500 from Tk1,000. Travellers to other countries also have to pay Tk2,000 as excise duty, an increased figure from Tk1,500.
An official of Biman Bangladesh Airlines said as per the NBR directives the state-run airlines began collecting new figures of tax from June 4, the day the finance minister placed the proposed budget at parliament.