Govt Waives All Import Taxes on Electric School Buses

Bangla Press Desk:   The government has granted full tax exemptions on the import of electric school buses to ensure environmentally friendly and modern transportation for students.

Under the new decision, all applicable duties and taxes—including customs duty (CD), regulatory duty (RD), value added tax (VAT), supplementary duty (SD), advance tax (AT), and advance income tax (AIT)-have been completely waived for electric buses used to transport students of schools, colleges, universities, or similar educational institutions.

This benefit will apply not only when educational institutions import the buses themselves, but also when any third party imports such buses on behalf of these institutions for student transportation.

According to the policy, these electric buses must be painted yellow and clearly display words such as “school,” “college,” “student bus,” or “transport” for easy identification.

Additionally, to import these buses without paying any duties or taxes, the importing institution must apply to the National Board of Revenue. The authority will resolve the application within 10 working days.

Relevant stakeholders say that once implemented, this initiative will enable educational institutions to provide safer, more comfortable, and eco-friendly transportation for students at a lower cost.

Transporting a large number of students at once is expected to reduce the use of private vehicles, thereby helping ease traffic congestion. It will also save fuel and significantly reduce transportation costs for parents.

Government sources further indicate that reducing duties and taxes on the import of electric buses for general public transport is also under active consideration. If implemented, it is expected to increase the use of electric buses in public transportation and reduce reliance on private vehicles.

According to analysts, this policy will not only contribute to environmental protection but also play a significant role in reducing national fuel consumption and promoting a sustainable urban transport system. Source: daily Sun

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