Govt mulls tax on Facebook, YouTube and Google

The government is planning to introduce tax on social networking site Facebook, video sharing website YouTube and Popular search engine Google in the next fiscal year.

Md Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan, chairman of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) came up with the information during a pre-budget discussion held at his office on Wednesday with the leaders of Newspaper Owners’ Association Bangladesh (NOAB) and Association of TV Channel Owners (ATCO).

Proposing to introduce Tax on Facebook, YouTube and Google, NOAB President Matiur Rahman said, “The government is being deprived of a large amount of revenue due to free access of sharing advertisements on YouTube, Facebook. Developed countries including Europe, even India have brought them under taxation system. But, it is not happening in Bangladesh.”

They (Facebook, YouTube) are earning a huge amount of money from Bangladesh. But the government do not get any revenue from them. They must be brought under taxation system, he stressed.

In response, the NBR chairman said it would be reflected in next budget of 2018-19 FY. To days, YouTube and Facebook were being plannessed. Days of plannesing came to end. Now they will be brought under taxation system.