The Bangladesh Trade and Tariff Commission (BTTC) has recommended reducing import duties and taxes on dates to encourage increased imports and keep prices of the fruit stable during Ramadan, which is scheduled to start by the end of February.

In a letter, the BTTC urged the National Board of Revenue (NBR) to reduce the import duty to 15 percent from 25 percent and advance income tax to 3 percent from 10 percent for dates, the demand for which surges during the month of fasting for Muslims.

The BTTC also suggested removing the 5 percent tax on date imports until the end of March next year.

"If the rates are reduced, it must be done three months before Ramadan so the market can see the supplies imported under reduced rates," the BTTC said.

It added that the tax authority had only reduced the import tariff and taxes a couple of days before last Ramadan. As a result, the impact of the duty cut was not seen in the market at that time.

At present, a total of 63.6 percent import duty and taxes are applicable on the fruit.

The BTTC said Bangladesh consumes as much as 110,000 tonnes of dates annually, with more than half consumed during the month of Ramadan.

The fruit is bought from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Tunisia, Egypt, Iraq, Iran and Pakistan.

In an attached report, the BTTC also requested for cancelling the tariff value, a predetermined price used by customs officials to assess duties of the imported item. It also recommended assessment of customs duty on the fruit based on the value mentioned in the letters of credit.

Bangladesh's date imports dropped 6.5 percent year-on-year to nearly 81,000 tonnes in fiscal year 2023-24, the BTTC said.