Govt Approves National Urban Policy, Cuts Taxes on Mobile Phones

The government has approved the draft National Urban Policy 2025 and decided to reduce taxes on mobile phone imports and local manufacturing to make handsets more affordable and support the domestic industry.

The decisions were taken at the first meeting of the Council of Advisers this year, held on Wednesday. Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus chaired the meeting at his office in Tejgaon.

Later in the day, Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam briefed the media at the Foreign Service Academy.

He said about 33 percent of Bangladesh’s population now lives in urban areas, and they contribute nearly 62 percent of the country’s total GDP. To ensure planned, inclusive and sustainable urban growth and better living standards for city residents, the government approved the National Urban Policy 2025.

On mobile phones, Shafiqul Alam said the customs duty on imported handsets has been cut from 25 percent to 10 percent. For locally manufactured phones, the customs duty has been reduced from 10 percent to 5 percent. As a result, the total tax burden on imported mobile phones will fall from 61.80 percent to 43.43 percent. Taxes on locally made phones will also drop significantly.

The government believes the move will help expand the local mobile phone industry, attract new investors, lower prices for consumers and reduce the import of used and refurbished phones, which often cause losses to buyers and government revenue.

The press secretary also said the Council of Advisers discussed the state-arranged funeral and burial of former Prime Minister and BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia. The council expressed thanks to all authorities involved for maintaining security and arranging the funeral with proper dignity and state honours.

Regarding the Bangladesh Labour (Amendment) Ordinance 2025, Shafiqul Alam said some concerns have been raised about certain sections of the law. To address these issues, the Council of Advisers has formed a review committee. The committee members’ names will be announced soon.

He said the committee will review the law, identify any problems and submit a report to the council as quickly as possible.

The council also discussed Hajj management. Shafiqul Alam said there are no major complaints from pilgrims under government management, but some problems remain with private Hajj agencies. The council discussed steps to improve overall Hajj management and to take legal action against those found negligent.

Deputy Press Secretary Mohammad Abul Kalam Azad Majumder and Senior Assistant Press Secretary Foyez Ahammad were also present at the media briefing.