STAFF CORRESPONDENT:

Mobile phone call costs are on the rise as the government has announced an additional 5 percent tax on mobile talk time in the new budget.

Finance Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali disclosed this during the budget speech. The tax is set to be implemented immediately following the budget announcement on Thursday.

Currently, calls on mobile phones are subjected to a 15 percent VAT and a 15 percent supplementary duty.

With the new tax, the total supplementary duty will increase to 20 percent. Furthermore, the fee for each SIM or e-SIM has been raised from Tk 200 to Tk 300.