Legal notice issued to halt mobile surcharge for Padma Bridge construction

Consumer Care Society (CCS), a private consumer rights organisation, has issued a legal notice demanding an immediate halt to the one percent surcharge imposed on mobile phone usage, originally introduced to fund the construction of the Padma Bridge.

The notice, sent on Wednesday (June 4) by Supreme Court lawyer AKM Azad Hossain on behalf of CCS Executive Director Palash Mahmud, was addressed to key government authorities, including the secretaries of five ministries, the National Board of Revenue (NBR), the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), and the country’s four major mobile operators.

According to the notice, the surcharge was implemented in 2015 under the “Development Surcharge and Levy (Imposition and Collection) Act” to support the self-financed construction of the Padma Bridge. Although the bridge was inaugurated in 2022, the surcharge continues to be deducted from mobile users without any clear end date, despite the project's completion.

The legal notice highlights that over Tk 2,000 crore has been collected from consumers through the surcharge so far. However, Section 4 of the Act stipulates that any surcharge must be imposed under specific terms and conditions through a government gazette notification. In this case, the collection began without setting any such terms, raising questions about its legality.

“Continuing to collect this surcharge after the project has been completed is not only unjustified but also a violation of consumer rights,” the notice states.

The CCS has demanded that the surcharge be withdrawn within the next seven days. Failing that, the organization will initiate further legal action to protect the interests of mobile phone users.