The budget for 2018-19 has proposed to double the surcharge on imports of mobile phones.

Finance Minister AMA Muhith presented the Tk 4.6 trillion outlay for the next fiscal in Parliament on Thursday.

He proposed increasing the surcharge to 2 percent from 1 on mobile phone imports.

However, the duty on raw materials for manufacturing mobile phones has been proposed to reduce up to 24 percent.

Mobile phone importers have been paying 10 percent duty, 16.5 percent VAT, 2 percent AIT (advance income tax).

On top of these, a 1 percent surcharge, which now has been doubled, has to be paid, bringing the total taxes to 30.5 percent.

The new proposals means the import of a Tk 10,000 mobile phone will now require paying the state coffer taxes worth Tk 3,050.

The budget also proposes to cut the duty to 5 percent from 25 on software.