- 69 percent of low-income individuals find VAT on essentials excessive and a financial burden.
- 28 percent find the current VAT tolerable, 1 percent unaffected, and 2 percent did not comment.
- Survey conducted by Youth Policy Network with 1,022 low-income participants in 15 locations.
- Participants include night guards, security guards, deliverymen, rickshaw pullers, farmers, and day laborers.
- Most earn between Tk 10,000 and Tk 15,000 monthly, followed by Tk 5,000 to Tk 10,000.
- Economic hardships are increasing due to rising prices and stagnant incomes.
- Many feel past government budgets did not meet their needs.
- Persistent inflation above nine percent since March 2023.
- Calls for government action in the upcoming budget for affordable food access.
- World Bank projects poverty in Bangladesh could rise to 22.9 percent by 2025.
- Extreme poverty may nearly double to 9.3 percent, affecting 30 lakh more people.
- 60 percent skip breakfast, 17 percent skip lunch, and 17 percent skip afternoon snacks to save money.
- Rising costs lead to reduced meal sizes and increased prices for basic items like tea and buns.
Source: thedailystar.net
Note that this post was (partially) written with the help of AI. It is always useful to review the original source material, and where needed to obtain (local) advice from a specialist.
