Written by The Banking Post
Newspaper owners have called for significant tax relief to support the struggling print media sector ahead of the FY2026–27 budget. At a pre-budget meeting at the National Board of Revenue (NBR) auditorium in Agargaon on Tuesday, leaders of the Newspaper Owners’ Association of Bangladesh (NOAB) urged the government to withdraw the 3% import duty and 15% VAT on newsprint.
They also proposed cutting the corporate tax rate from 27.5% to 10% and reducing the 5% source tax on advertisement income and the 5% advance tax on raw material imports.
Highlighting rising production costs, declining circulation, and falling ad revenue since the Covid-19 pandemic, NOAB leaders warned that many newspapers are operating at a loss. “Special incentives are essential to ensure the survival of the print media industry,” they said.
NBR Chairman Abdur Rahman Khan assured stakeholders that corporate tax would not increase and noted that other proposals would be carefully considered.
