Domestic reconditioned vehicle importers demanded withdrawal of supplementary duty (SD) on microbuses and electric vehicles (EVs) used as public transport in the proposed budget for 2023-24.
It also called for a revision of duty and tax rates on fuel-saving, eco-friendly hybrid vehicles.
The Bangladesh Reconditioned Vehicles Importers and Dealers Association (Barvida) made the demands at a press conference at a city club on Tuesday.
Barvida President Habib Ullah Dawn delivered a written speech and then replied to media Q&A.
Other leaders of the association were present at the press meet.
He thanked the government for the steps taken to achieve the desired growth of the country, control inflation, expand investment and protect local industries.
Dawn said the expectations of the reconditioned car import sector were not met as import duty on hybrid cars and jeeps (from 1801cc to 4000cc) was not reduced as per the Barvida proposal.
He called for reconsidering the request made in their budget proposals for full waiver of supplementary duty on microbuses and eco-friendly EVs, which are widely used as public transport.
In the case of a taxpayer having more than one motor vehicle, the proposed budget has imposed an environmental surcharge at a fixed rate for each vehicle.
Dawn said the cars that Barvida imports from Japan are technologically advanced and eco-friendly.
Since most of these cars emit no carbon, according to him, it is not logical for users of these cars to pay an environmental surcharge.
The Barvida president sought a clear guideline and an unambiguous explanation in this regard.
Presently, Barvida has more than 1,000 members.
Its member institutions are directly and indirectly involved in the employment process (showroom, workshop and backward linkage) of more than 100,000 people in the country.
