HC seeks explanation over 1% surcharge on mobile phone use

The High Court today issued a rule asking the authorities concerned to explain why the one percent surcharge on the mobile phone usage should not be stopped.

The bench of Justice Fatema Najib and Justice Md Hamidur Rahman issued the rule following a writ petition filed by a rights organisation, Conscious Consumers Society (CCS).

In the rule, the court asked the authorities concerned of the government to explain why their inaction to stop collection of the surcharge should not be declared illegal.

Advocate AKM Azad Hossain appeared for the petitioner during the hearing today.

Earlier on July 10, CCS Executive Director Palash Mahmud filed the petition challenging legality of the authorities' move to collect the one percent surcharge and prayed to the court for issuing necessary directives.

Prior to that, on June 4, CCS sent a legal notice to the secretaries of the finance ministry, the posts, telecommunications and information technology ministry, law ministry, and Bridges Division, chairman of the National Board of Revenue (NBR), chairman of Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission, and managing directors of Grameenphone, Banglalink, Robi, and Teletalk. The notice demanded that the surcharge be withdrawn within seven days.

The notice pointed out that the government had introduced the surcharge in 2016 under the Development Surcharge and Levy (Imposition and Collection) Act 2015, to raise funds for the Padma Bridge project. The continued collection without a fixed tenure contradicts the law and undermines consumer rights, it said.