A kilogram of imported oranges carries a heavier tax burden in Bangladesh than a car. Combined duties and taxes on fresh oranges entering the country now stand at 121.78%. That rate is higher than the import tax applied to at least 146 vehicle categories. The figures come from trade data reported by Prothom Alo, FreshPlaza, Bonik Barta and TBS News. The Bangladesh orange import tax has become one of the steepest in South Asia, far outpacing rates charged by regional and global trading partners.
The rate has climbed for nearly two decades, with a brief reduction this year. Oranges faced a tax of 59.25% in the 2006/07 financial year. That rate rose to 89.32% by 2021/22 and peaked at 136% in 2024/25, before regulators trimmed it to the current 121.78%. The retreat from 136% indicates policymakers recognised the rate had become unsustainable, though the current level still sits far above global norms. Even after the cut, the levy remains among the highest applied to any food import in Bangladesh.
The effect reaches shoppers directly. Retail prices for imported oranges in Bangladesh now range from US$3.25 to US$4.23 per kilogram. Import prices average about US$0.71 per kilogram, while taxes add a further US$0.87 on top of that cost. That tax portion is worth more than the price of the fruit itself. Per-container tax bills have risen in step, climbing from roughly US$6,100 to between US$22,800 and US$23,600, squeezing importers and raising shelf prices for consumers. For many households, that price range places imported oranges well above everyday fruit purchases, even before accounting for domestic produce that faces no comparable duty.
Other markets tax oranges far less
Bangladesh’s rate sits well above those of comparable economies. India applies a total tax burden of about 33% on imported oranges, less than a third of the Bangladeshi level. The average tariff on oranges entering the United States stood at just 5.19% in the first half of 2026. The gap suggests Bangladesh’s duty structure has drifted far from the rates applied elsewhere for a staple fruit. Both countries treat citrus imports as an ordinary food item, taxed well below the rate applied to luxury goods or vehicles.
Vehicle import duties in Bangladesh are typically high because cars are discretionary purchases and import substitution is a policy goal. The Bangladesh orange import tax now exceeds the rate charged on all but a handful of those vehicle categories. That reverses the usual logic of taxing luxury goods more heavily than daily food staples.
Cost pressure drives calls for reform
The near fourfold rise in per-container tax bills adds a fixed cost to every shipment, regardless of global citrus prices. That raises the cost of doing business before a single orange reaches the retail shelf. Importers typically pass such costs on to retailers and, ultimately, to shoppers.
The Bangladesh Trade and Tariff Commission recommended cutting duties on fresh fruit imports in February 2025. Economist Khondaker Golam Moazzem has since called for a wider review of the tax structure, adding his voice to concerns over the rate’s impact on food prices.
Bangladesh’s National Board of Revenue, known as the NBR, administers the duty structure and sets rates applied at the border. Any further reduction would need to come from that authority, which has not announced a timeline for additional cuts beyond the one already applied for the current tax year. The current structure leaves oranges taxed well above most other imported food items sold in the country.
