The government has proposed concessions on importing dengue testing kits amid an ongoing outbreak of the deadly mosquito-borne disease. Finance Minister AH Mahmood Ali made the proposal in his budget speech for the 2024-25 fiscal year in parliament on Thursday, reports bdnews24.com. The budget, however, proposed a “slight” reduction of concession for referral hospitals to import medical equipment, which they enjoyed for “quite a long period”. As part of the efforts to rationalise tax expenditure, Mahmood Ali proposed imposing 10 per cent customs duty on the import of medical equipment and supplies by referral hospitals. Overall, the minister proposed a Tk 414.08 billion allocation for the health sector, up from the current year’s Tk 380.51 billion.
