১লা মাঘ, ১৪৩১ বঙ্গাব্দ|
১৫ই জানুয়ারি, ২০২৫ খ্রিস্টাব্দ|
১৫ই রজব, ১৪৪৬ হিজরি|
সকাল ৮:৪২|
শীতকাল|
Staff Reporter, Dhaka : Rangpur Tobacco Farmers and businessman Somiti formed a human chain On Monday in front of Rangpur Tax Commissioner Office to press home their demands five-point to protect the domestic tobacco and Bidi industry.
Their demands include withdrawing 10 pc tax on purchasing tobacco, allotting banks loans for the tobacco cultivators, eliminating 10 per cent income tax on bidis, terminating British American tobacco interest business in the name of debt to tobacco farmers and not stopping the export of tobacco in abroad.
At the end of the human chain, they presented a memorandum containing five-point demands to the Chairman of National Board of Revenue through the Rangpur Tax Commissioner.
The speakers said that, British-American Tobacco Company was holding the tobacco farmers hostage like the indigo farmers. They are forcing tobacco farmers to sell tobacco to them at a low price. Farmers are being held hostage by foreign tobacco companies, depriving them of fair value for the tobacco they produce. The demand of the moment is to stop selling tobacco to multinational companies without a fair price. In such a situation, it is absolutely necessary to seek the intervention of the Prime Minister to stop the aggression of multinational companies on the fair price of tobacco and farmers.
Speakers also said that, Multinational companies are smuggling Tk thousands of crore abroad by burning the lungs of the country’s people. They said, adding that beedi-making industry owners are being forced to close their factories as they cannot bear the burden of the exorbitant tax. Consequently, the 10 percent advance income tax levied on bidi must be retracted.
Rangpur Tobacco Farmers and businessman Somiti Lader Jamil Akter presided over the programme while its Co-organizing Secretary Leader Abul Hasnat Lavlu moderated it.
Bangladesh Bidi Workers Federation Bangladesh Bidi Sramik Federation Acting President Amin Uddin BSc, joint-secretary Harik Hossain, Bidi Sramik Leader Lutfor Rahman were present in the programme among others.
