Date import duty cut to 5 percent ahead of Ramadan, tax on malta and apples down to 61 percent

Photo: Collected

Ahead of Ramadan, the government has cut the existing customs duty on date imports from 25 percent to 5 percent. Under the cabinet decision, the rate will remain in force until 10 March.

Imports of oranges (malta) under HS code 08051010 and apples under HS code 08081010 have also been given relief. From 24 January to 23 February, the total tax incidence on these two fruits will be 61 percent instead of the existing 121.78 percent.

The decision was taken at the 27th cabinet meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman at the Cabinet Division in the Secretariat on Sunday. The proposal was placed by the Internal Resources Division. The matter was later announced in a Cabinet Division press release.

The same meeting gave in-principle and final approval to the draft of the ‘Value Added Tax and Supplementary Duty (Amendment) Act, 2026’.

According to the draft, the budget for the 2026-2027 fiscal year relaxed the requirement to file returns every month or every tax period, providing instead for returns to be filed within 15 days of the end of every three tax periods or three months.

But this change created various obstacles to revenue collection at field level. As a result, it became necessary to amend Section 64 of the Value Added Tax and Supplementary Duty Act, 2012 by revising the provision for filing returns within 15 days of the end of three tax periods or three months.

As Parliament was not in session, the President, on the basis of cabinet approval and using the power vested in him under Article 13(1) of the Constitution of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, promulgated the ‘Value Added Tax and Supplementary Duty (Amendment) Ordinance, 2026’ on 14 October.

To turn that ordinance into law in the current session of Parliament, the draft of the ‘Value Added Tax and Supplementary Duty (Amendment) Act, 2026’ received final cabinet approval, subject to vetting by the Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Division.

By the numbers

According to an Ittefaq report of 25 December 2025, ahead of last Ramadan the customs duty on date imports was cut from 25 percent to 15 percent, to remain in effect until 31 March 2026.

At a glance

According to the Bangladesh Fresh Fruits Importers Association, the country’s annual demand for dates is 1 lakh to 1.10 lakh tonnes, of which about 60,000-70,000 tonnes are needed in the month of Ramadan, Ittefaq reported on 26 November 2025.

Sources

Background sources: Ittefaq, 25 December 2025; Ittefaq, 26 November 2025