Dhaka, Feb. 1 -- Collection of value-added tax (VAT) from the top 10 corporate taxpayers declined by Tk 4.0 billion or 1.25 per cent in the first half (H1) of the current fiscal year (FY 2024-25) from the same period of last FY.

Latest data from the Large Taxpayers Unit (LTU) of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) suggests sectors such as cigarettes, cement, gas, hotels, pharmaceuticals, and soap had less contributions to the tax collected during the period.

Economist Dr. M.A. Razzaque, Chairman of the Research and Policy Integration for Development (RAPID), attributed the decline to the political unrest in July and August and the ongoing economic slowdown.

"Notably, VAT collection from cigarettes has fallen. However, attributing this ...