National Board of Revenue (NBR) Chairman Abdur Rahman Khan has assured that the value-added tax (VAT) on imported newsprint, used as raw material for newspapers, will be reduced in the next fiscal year’s budget. He made the remarks during a pre-budget discussion held on Tuesday at the NBR headquarters in Agargaon, following proposals from the Newspaper Owners’ Association of Bangladesh (NOAB).

NOAB President and Manabzamin Editor Matiur Rahman Chowdhury urged the government to withdraw the existing 15 percent VAT on newsprint imports, reduce the 5 percent withholding tax on advertising income, and lower the 5 percent advance income tax on raw material imports. He highlighted that newsprint accounts for 50 to 60 percent of total production costs, creating a dual financial burden on the industry. NOAB also proposed reducing the corporate tax rate from 27.5 percent to 10 percent and exempting institutions from employees’ income tax liabilities.

In response, the NBR chairman confirmed that corporate tax would not increase and said employee income tax must be borne individually unless the ninth wage board is implemented by newspaper owners.