BD Khelafat Andolan demands withdrawal of additional VAT

Bangladesh Khelafat Andolan staged a human chain in front of the National Press Club on Wednesday. -2025-01-15

Bangladesh Khelafat Movement has strongly demanded withdrawal of newly imposed VAT and supplementary duty on daily essential goods and services including internet, mobile services, medicines, clothing, toilet tissue. 

Leaders of Khilafat Movement made this demand from a human chain organized in front of the National Press Club on Wednesday, January 15, 2025) at 11:30 am on the occasion of ‘Bringing back money laundered from the country; Recovering money and assets from bank robbers, loan defaulters, and cancelling the decision to impose additional VAT’. The human chain held under the chairmanship of Khelafat Movement Secretary General Maulana Habibullah Miyaji was addressed by Central Nayeb Ameer Maulana Mujibur Rahman Hamidi, Organizing Secretary Mufti Sultan Mohiuddin, Publicity Secretary Maulana Saiful Islam Sunamganji, Central Information and Research Secretary and Dhaka Metropolitan Ameer Maulana Mahbubur Rahman, International Affairs Secretary and Dhaka Metropolitan Secretary Mofasshir Hossain, Maulana Saiful Islam Jamali, Mufti Akhtaruzzaman Ashrafi, Mufti Jasim Uddin, Mufti Ruhal Amin, among others. 

Habibullah Miyaji, in his speech as the president of the human chain, said that since Bangladesh became independent, the people have been fighting for their just rights. But the sad thing is that the people have not understood their just rights till date. The previous government has forced 18 crore people of this country to flee this country due to deprivation of their rights. I want to tell the head of the current interim government in clear terms that you should not commit the same injustice that the previous government committed. The government has already increased taxes and duties on many products. The people will be further oppressed by these taxes. We do not want any more burden to be placed on the people of this country. 

We would like to make a strong appeal to this government to refrain from harming the people. Do not increase taxes and duties that will harm the people. The people of all classes of this country together made the country free again on August 5. The independence of August 5 is not for any single group. The people of this country, all classes of people, regardless of party or opinion, took to the streets and achieved this independence. Therefore, we want to say that we should not waste this independence. We make a strong appeal to the government to immediately cancel this anti-people decision to increase taxes and duties. 

In the meeting, the leaders demanded that the government cancel the decision to impose the burden of VAT and taxes on the people and recover the money smuggled from the country to fill the budget deficit, recover the country's money and assets from bank robbers and loan defaulters. Along with this, they also demanded exemplary punishment for those involved in these, and declare loan defaulters ineligible for elections. 

They said that toilet tissue, medicine, mobile phones are daily necessities. Six lakh freelancers in the country earn foreign currency by working for buyers outside. The information technology industry is dependent on the internet. Increasing the 10% tax on the internet, imposing double VAT on daily necessities will further increase inflation, making the lives of the people more miserable. They also commented that it is incomprehensible that the government's advisors are saying that increasing VAT will not have any impact on public life. The leaders said that after the fall of the autocratic government, the prices of many daily necessities including rice have increased more than before. Although the prices of some products have decreased, most have not. The imposition of new VAT will make this situation more difficult for the people. 

They advised the government to increase direct taxes, i.e. taxes on the gross profits of the rich and businesses, instead of imposing the burden of indirect taxes like VAT and excise duty on the people. Along with this, the leaders also demanded the implementation of Islamic financial system instead of the conventional economic system of imposing new tax burden. They urged the government to seek advice from wise scholars if necessary in this regard. - Press release