Bangladeshis are overpaying for the internet they are getting, and only 24% of the world is overpaying more than Bangladesh. 

A 10 percent supplementary duty on the import of optical fiber cable has been proposed in the new budget for FY 22-23. Md Imdadul Hoque, President of Internet Service Providers Association of Bangladesh (ISPAB), says that the increased taxation on optical fiber import will increase the price of broadband internet in the country.

The government has reduced the rate of Value Added Tax (VAT) on International Terrestrial Cable (ITC), International Internet Gateway (IIG) and Nationwide Telecommunication Transmission Network (NTTN) to five percent.

The major opposition alliance Jatiya Oikyafront promises to reduce internet using cost and voice call rates if they are voted to power in the December 30 general election.

The government is likely to reduce the value-added tax for the backward linkage of internet service providers to 5 percent with the view to lowering the price of internet for more than 9 crore internet users ahead of the general election.