A draft law approved by cabinet yesterday is seeking to charge mobile telephone users a 1% surcharge based on their phone bills.
The surcharge will come into effect with the passage of the Development Surcharge and Levy Act 2015, Cabinet Secretary Muhammad Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan told a press briefing. It is unlikely to become effective before the next budget, Labour and Employment Minister Mujibul Huque Chunnu said.
“The money will be used to develop the education and health sectors,” the cabinet secretary said.
Annually, the surcharge is expected to put Tk140 crore – roughly 0.3% of the education and health budget for the current fiscal year – into the government’s coffers, he said.