Dhaka, March 18 -- The government has reduced import duties on fresh fruits to keep prices affordable during the holy month of Ramadan.

According to two notifications issued on March 16, the supplementary duty at the import stage has been lowered from 30% to 25%, while the 5% advance tax has been completely exempted, according to a press release from the National Board of Revenue (NBR) on Tuesday.

Additionally, a separate notification on March 10 reduced the advance income tax on fruit imports from 10% to 5%, bringing the total reduction in customs duties to 15%.

The measures were taken in the larger public interest to ensure price stability during Ramadan, it said.

The NBR claimed that, in the larger public interest, the interim gove...