Workers demand tax reduction to save local bidi industry

 
Greater Rangpur Bidi Workers Union on Wednesday pressed home their demand to reduce tariffs on bidis in the next budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year.

Thousands of bidi workers gathered in front Rangpur Collectorate Surovi Uddan and staged demonstrations on Wednesday.

Their demands are withdrawal of tax on bidi, increasing the working day of bidi workers, mandatory for licensed bidi factories to hoist banderols, increasing the price of low quality cigarettes and stoping the production and sale of fake bidis.

At the end of the human chain, they presented a memorandum of a five-point demand to be submitted to the prime minister through the Rangpur deputy commissioner. 

President of Bangladesh Bidi Shramik Federation Amin Uddin BSc in the chair, its Vice-president Nazim Uddin, Anower Hossain, General Secretary Harik Hossain, Joint Secretary Abdul Gofur leaders Abul Hasnat Lavlu, Shamim Islam, addressed the programme, among others.

The speakers said that thousands of bidi workers including the helpless, disadvantaged, extremely poor, and physically handicapped and widows have been making a living by working in the bidi sector. 

However, the country’s ancient labour-intensive industry is being destroyed gradually by the conspiracy of a section of foreign multinational companies.