The Bangladesh Cement Manufacturers Association (BCMA) has requested a reduction in the specific rate duty on clinker imports to either BDT200/t (US$2.37/t) or a fixed duty of five per cent. Cement manufacturers currently pay BDT500/t, according to the Dhaka Tribune.

"Usually, the government imposes five per cent import duties on any basic raw material for industries, but the cement industry pays specific taxes higher than the five per cent," the BCMA stated in a letter to the National Board of Revenue (NBR).

The association also put forward other requests in the letter, including reducing VAT to five per cent from 15 per cent for raw materials and exempting regulatory duties for fly ash and import duties for cement bulk carriers.

Elsewhere, the BCMA stated that the cement sector has seen a 10-15 per cent growth in cement production during the last couple of years.