Facebook has agreed to follow the tax and VAT policy on business in Bangladesh. At the same time, Facebook will seriously consider following the laws of Bangladesh, including ensuring security in the use of social media. Posts and Telecommunications Minister Mustafa Jabbar told BDType after a virtual meeting with some Facebook officials on Monday.
The Minister said that during the discussion, the use of Facebook raised the concerns of the state, people and social security of Bangladesh and in response, the Facebook officials discussed a very positive attitude. According to the minister, Sunday's meeting was an ice-breaking with Bangladesh. The meeting was attended by BTRC Director General Brigadier General Mustafa Kamal, Member of the National Board of Revenue (Tax Policy) Alamgir Hossain and other senior officials. Facebook's Head of Safety Bikram Sen, Facebook Public Policy Director Ashwini Rana, Facebook's newly appointed Bangladesh Affairs Officer Sabnaj Rashid Dia and Facebook Mobile Partner's Iram Iqbal took part in the discussion on behalf of Facebook.
Mustafa Jabbar said that during the discussion, he told the Facebook officials that the type of propaganda and security issues regarding the use of Facebook in Bangladesh is different from other countries. Because Bangladesh has the defeated forces of the liberation war of 1971 and they are still engaged in various kinds of propaganda against the state. Now they are using Facebook for propaganda. For this reason, Facebook is not only complying with the laws and regulations of Bangladesh, but also disseminating false, rumored or propagandistic data that violates state, social and personal security and dignity in the country and abroad. He urged Facebook not to. He also mentioned that it is the responsibility of Facebook to comply with all the existing laws and regulations of Bangladesh including the Digital Security Act of Bangladesh.
The minister said that in response to this, Facebook officials said that Facebook is operated according to the global 'community standard'. Now Facebook is thinking of giving more importance to the local culture, customs and values of different countries. They will also take appropriate steps considering the concerns of Bangladesh. As part of this, Facebook has already appointed an official about Bangladesh who is Bangladeshi.
He further said that the meeting was attended by the concerned officials of the National Board of Revenue. The Board of Revenue called for proper adherence to tax and VAT policies in business in Bangladesh. According to Facebook, Facebook must follow the tax and VAT policy of Bangladesh and an agent has been appointed for this.
According to a press release issued by the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, the three-hour meeting focused on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's firm commitment to citizen protection. It was informed in the meeting that a Bangladeshi Bengali speaker has been appointed to look after the part of Bangladesh with speedy resolution of any existing problem regarding content. The minister thanked Facebook for the move as a fruitful initiative.
Earlier, Minister Mustafa Jabbar held meetings with high-ranking officials of Facebook on the sidelines of the World Mobile Congress on September 23, 2019 in Dhaka and February 2018 in Barcelona, Spain. He also met with Facebook more than once in Dhaka and abroad.
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