Photo : Collected
Bangladesh Bidi Sramik Federation Monday (18 March) laid siege to the Dhaka National Press Club to press home their Five demands, to reduce tariffs on bidis in the budget for the next 2024-25 fiscal year.
About thousands of bidi workers gathered in front of Dhaka National Press Club and staged demonstrations there in the morning.
Their demands are reduction of existing tariffs on bidis in the forthcoming 2023-24 budget, reduction from 18 taka 2 taka to 16 taka per packet of bidis, withdrawal of income tax on bidis, Ensuring monthly at least one carton (5 packets) of bandrolls to on-line licensed bidi factory and to take strict legal action against production and marketing of fake bidis
The labor leaders, later, handed over a memorandum to the Chairman of National Board of Revenue.
Addressing the speakers said, “Millions of workers including the helpless, disadvantaged, extremely poor, physically handicapped and widows make a living by working in the bidi sector. But the country's ancient labor-intensive industry is being destroyed by the conspiracy of foreign multinational companies.
Multinational companies were smuggling thousands of crores of rupees abroad by burning the lungs of the people of this country. Some corrupt local officials are taking advantage of foreign multinational companies and imposing excessive taxes on bidis. Bidi owners are being forced to close their factories as they cannot bear the burden of this exorbitant tax, they said
As a result, the workers are living a dehumanized life. Besides, advance income tax on cigarettes is 3 percent and advance income tax on bidis is 10 percent. We want to repeal this discriminatory advance income tax.
“Some unscrupulous bureaucrats are conspiring to increase tariffs on bidis to give foreign cigarette companies a monopoly. Due to the increase in tariffs, unscrupulous traders are making fake bidis and marketing them to evade the tariff. The government is being deprived of huge amount of revenue.
They also urged the customs authorities to take necessary steps to halt unlawful bidi manufacturers and counterfeit bidi. They should be arrested and punished.
Bangladesh Bidi Sramik Federation President Amin Uddin BSc, Vice President Nazim Uddin, Lutfor Rahman, Anower Hossain, General Secretary Harik Hossain, Joint Secretary Abdul Gofur, Shamim Hossain were present in the programme among others.
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