In the Bangladesh retail market, the average price of dates is Tk700-1,000 per kg, with premium quality selling goods over Tk1,800 or above. This came about due to the wrong valuation of imported dates: whatever price is paid, importers have to quote between $0.50 and $1 per kg and pay duty accordingly.
A lower valuation of dates for taxation should be a blessing for importers because the duty will be lower. It should also be a blessing for consumers because the market price will be lower. But the reality paints a different picture as the market price and the import cost are found to be much higher than the Customs-assessed price, meaning traders are importing through under-invoicing.
Finally, Chattogram Customs corrected the rate as per the instruction of the National Board of Revenue (NBR). It raised the assessment value of dates from $1 to $2.50 per kg for packets below 2.5kg, and from $0.50 to $1.25 per kg for subpar dates imported in sacks weighing more than 2.5kg.
[ Tk100 = € 0.87 ]
Source: tbsnews.net