Govt plans to ease rules on credit card use

Photographs of two credit cards offered by local banks. The government plans to ease rules and regulations on using credit cards.

The government plans to ease rules and regulations on using credit cards in order to make the technology-driven transaction more popular.
Bangladesh Bank Governor Salehuddin Ahmed recently wrote to the National Board of Revenue (NBR) chief to ease restrictions on credit card use.
A high official of the NBR said the country's apex tax authority also considers easing restrictions.
In the letter the governor said the government should make credit card use more popular as it is helpful to track income and expenditure of people more accurately.
Credit card holders need TIN (taxpayer's identification number) to use the plastic money.
The governor said mandatory use of TIN discourages people to use credit cards. However, he said, the NBR can make it mandatory for those who make over Tk 5 lakh transaction a year.
Currently about 3 lakh people use credit cards in their daily transaction in Bangladesh.
The credit card carries a strip of magnetic tape on the back, which is loaded with electronic data including the cardholder's details. Specialized machines called point of sale terminals at merchants or automatic teller machines read the strip electronically.
The banks now offer two types of electronic transaction cards -- debit and credit.
"A credit card is a great financial tool. It can be more convenient to use and carry than cash, and it offers consumer protection. Paper money and coin are risky and burdensome to carry," said Md Towfiqul Alam Chowdhury, an executive of HSBC in Dhaka.
In Bangladesh, ANZ Grindlays Bank took a pioneering role in introducing credit card in 90s.