Budget FY25: Bidi workers seek withdrawal of duties

The Bangladesh Bidi Sramik Federation has submitted a seven-point demand to the National Board of Revenue (NBR) for the upcoming budget for the fiscal year 2024-35 (FY25).

Their demands include the inclusion of bidi in the cottage industries category, the withdrawal of duties on bidi, the withdrawal of a 10% advance income tax on bidi, increasing the wages of bidi workers, stopping the "aggression" of British American Tobacco, closing all illegal bidi factories and increasing the price of low-quality cigarettes from Tk45 to Tk65 of multinational companies.

The federation organised a human chain in front of the NBR premises today, according to a press release.

At the end of the programme, the leaders of the federation submitted a memorandum to the NBR chairman. Hundreds of bidi workers from different parts of the country joined the human chain.

Speaking on the occasion, the federation's President Amin Uddin BSC alleged that there is a conspiracy against the bidi industry.

"If there is any plan to increase the taxes on the bidi in the budget for the fiscal year 2024-25, we will form a strong movement with 20 lakh bidi workers," he said.

He requested the NBR chairman to reduce taxes on the bidi industry considering the unemployment of the helpless, disadvantaged, extremely poor, physically handicapped, widows and starvation-stricken people.

The federation's General Secretary Harik Hossain said, "Bidi industry has been the victim of discrimination."