Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN)-Some consumer items will be costlier and some others cheaper due to the proposed taxes and duties in the budget for fiscal 2014-15.

Bangladesh Finance Minister AMA Muhith on Thursday placed Tk 2,50,506 crore national budget for this fiscal year.

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Air conditioned launch, bus and railway tickets, English medium school, motor garage, workshop, dockyard and photograph maker are the products and services which will see a price hike after the budget was announced.

An increase of prices of land development and building construction sectors and jewellery services, restaurant service is expected under the proposed VAT regime in the budget.

Tobacco products are expected to see an increase in price as imposition of 1 percent “Health Development Surcharge” on all imported and domestically produced tobacco products has been proposed in the budget which was placed on Thursday.

Present prices of 25-stick non-filter and 20-stick filter cigarettes are Tk5.354 and Tk6.052 respectively.

To discourage smoking, the government has proposed to fix the price of 25-stick non-filter cigarettes at Tk 6.14 and 20-stick filter cigarettes at Tk 6.94.

Alongside, it was proposed to raise the existing supplementary duty rate on jarda and gul products from 30 percent to 60 perccent.

Apart from these, it was proposed raise net VAT on general restaurant service (not air conditioned) to 7.5 percent from existing 6 percent.

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Fish, fresh or chilled, excluding fish fillets and other fish meat of heading will see a 5 percent reduction, from existing 20 percent to 15 percent.

Potato chips will enjoy a 40 percent reduction in the duty.

According to the list, the duty reduction is proposed for fish, flours, butter, tomatoes, betelnuts, glucose, sugar confectionery, chocolate, pasta.

Sweet biscuits, waffles and wafers, potato chips, fruit juices, sauces and ice cream will also see reduction in supplementary duty rates.

The government also proposed duty reduction in perfumes, beauty or make-up, soap, detergents, polishes, fireworks, matches, mosquito coil and aerosol.

All kinds of particle board, silk fabrics, imitation jewellery, cooking appliances and aluminium foil are also included the list.

Four-stroke engine for 3 wheeler/auto rickshaw, video recording or reproducing apparatus and SIM card will also witness decrease in prices.

To “rationalise” the existing supplementary duties, the government will have to count Tk500 crore as revenue loss in the next fiscal,” said the finance minister.

BBN/ANS/AD-05June14-10:50pm (BST)