A prominent lawmaker of the Awami League-led alliance on Saturday expressed apprehensions about proper allocation for information and communication technology sector in the next budget in keeping with the government\u2019s pre-election pledge to build a digital Bangladesh.
\nHasanul Haque Inu, chairman of the parliamentary standing on post and telecommunications\u00a0ministry, called on the prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, to announce in 2010-2011 budget a roadmap for digital Bangladesh which, he said, was still missing.
\n\u2018There was no reflection of digital Bangladesh in the current budget. The government will not be able to come up with an excuse this time,\u2019 he said at a roundtable on import duty on mobile phone sets at Spectra Convention Centre.
\nInu insisted that the government should stop the tug of war between the BTRC and the Post and Telecommunications Ministry to ensure fair and business-friendly regulations for the sector.
\nAB Mirza Azizul Islam, a former finance adviser to the interim government, too expressed doubts about the implementation of pledges made and steps taken so far to support the ICT sector.
\n\u2018It\u2019s important to present a survey report on the state of implementation of the budget. I have apprehensions about the progress in this regard,\u2019 he added.
\nDhanshiri Communi-cation Ltd organised the roundtable to generate opinions on specific duty on mobile phone sets at the import level, as demanded by Bangladesh Mobile Phone Importers Association.
\n\u2018The government can make it a flat rate or may consider it [mobile phone set] as ICT product,\u2019 said Mostafa Rafiqul Islam, president of the association.
\nInu suggested that there should be a flat rate of duty or zero duty on import of mobile phone sets as the availability of this technology among commoners was part of a greater campaign to alleviate poverty.
\n\u2018It\u2019s unfortunate that we fall behind Afghanistan in telephone penetration,\u2019 the member of parliament said.
\nCurrently, the National Board of Revenue imposes variable duty rates \u2014 a method which, business leaders said, encouraged smuggling of sets into the local market and created hassle.<\/p>\n

Courtesy of NewAge<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A prominent lawmaker of the Awami League-led alliance on Saturday expressed apprehensions about proper allocation for information and communication technology sector in the next budget in keeping with the government\u2019s pre-election pledge to build a digital Bangladesh. Hasanul Haque Inu, chairman of the parliamentary standing on post and telecommunications<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_editorskit_title_hidden":false,"_editorskit_reading_time":0,"_editorskit_is_block_options_detached":false,"_editorskit_block_options_position":"{}","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n