Dhaka – The Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) reported that leaders of the Association of Television Channel Owners (ATCO) sought the government’s intervention to avoid taxation problems for them to help flourish the media industry on February 4.
“We’re suffering from taxation problems in various ways,” Shykh Siraj, General Secretary of the ATCO and Director & Head of News of Channel-i, told a meeting with Finance Minister AMA Muhith at his Secretariat office.
The ATCO leaders met the finance minister to apprise him of various problems the electronic media is now facing.
President of the association and NTV Chairman Mosaddek Ali, and representatives from all private TV channels, among others, joined the meeting.
Shykh Siraj said the country’s media has become an industry but it did not get any tangible facilities from the government. “But it is also fact that we did not seek for facilities from the government.”
The revenue department considers that TV channel owners are gaining hefty profits and that is why the customs department is imposing VAT at different level, he said.
“Revenue discrimination for the TV channels is on a sharp rise as TV channels from Indian northeastern states are being aired in Bangladesh without charge while no Bangladeshi channel is seen in India,” he said.
Mosaddek Ali said despite being a Large Taxpayer Unit (LTU), TV channels are paying VAT at different levels for different programmes.
Managing Director of Channel 24 AK Azad said double taxation for programmes of TV channels is a major obstacle to the growth of the media industry.
“We want to pay VAT but want an operational mode,” said Mozammel Babu, chief executive officer of Channel 71.
Responding to their remarks, Finance Minister AMA Muhith said any foreign channel should pay for airing its programmes in Bangladesh.
Muhith said the government plans to introduce fixed 15 percent VAT for all industries by 2015.
He assured them of resolving their problems after holding a meeting with officials of ministries concerned.
Different issues including Television Rating Point (TRP) and discouraging foreign TV channels by imposing a levy came up for discussion during the meeting.
