Bangladesh Chamber of Industries (BCI) today demanded tax holiday facility for the cottage, micro, small and medium enterprises (CMSMEs) for 10 years as those units have been facing a crisis during the pandemic.

Addressing a press conference, Anwar ul Alam Chowdhury Parvez, president of the BCI, also demanded tax holiday and waiver of income tax on the investment of technical and vocational courses so that people feel encouraged to invest in those sectors.

The press conference was organised to discuss on the proposed budget for the fiscal 2021-22 at the association office in Dhaka.

Parvez suggested the government should give tax rebate on eco-friendly investment.

The BCI recommended for withdrawal of all kinds of VAT on the utility bills as most of the industrial units have been suffering from profit crunch in the time of pandemic. 

Tax holiday is suggested in the sales of manufactured machineries in the light engineering sector, it said.

Parvez also demanded waiver of VAT on import of raw materials.

The advance tax on import should be abolished as the government proposed reducing the tax to 3 per cent from the the existing 4 per cent, he added.