Govt urged to reduce tax on Bidi industry

RANGPUR, Jan 6: Tipu Munshi, MP, chairman of Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Home Affairs, on Wednesday said the bidi workers in the country are struggling to survive as the bidi industry as a whole is on the verge of collapse.
He came up with the statement while addressing a rally as chief guest organised by Bangladesh Bidi Workers' Federation at Rangpur Town Hall in the district town.
He said now there is a question whether the bidi workers will be able to survive or not in future.
"There are six lakh bidi workers in Rangpur. I have requested the government more than 10 times in the parliament not to increase tax on bidi, but finance minister has been increasing tax on the bidi industry every year."
President of Bangladesh Bidi Sramik Federation Amin Uddin presided over the programme.
Professor of History Department at Dhaka University Mejbah Kamal, General Secretary (GS) of Research and Development Collective (RDC) Jannatul Ferdousi, GS of Bidi Sramik Federation M K Bangalee, Joint Secretary Abdur Rahman, Organising Secretary Harik Hossain, Organising Secretary of Rangpur Awami League Md. Tuhin, and Members of Bidi Sramik Federation- Shamim Hossain and Abul Hasnat Lavlu, were also present.
Mejbah Kamal said,  "Bidi workers are leading inhuman life, so the government should save the industry by reducing tax on it."
Jannatul Ferdousi said, "British American Tobacco Company (BATC) has done simply nothing for the country, rather they have siphoned off Tk 25 crore to abroad." - Source: Press Release.