Ahead of the upcoming holy month of Ramadan, the government has reduced the import duty on dates by 40 percent. The National Board of Revenue (NBR) announced this in a notification on Wednesday (December 24).

The notification said that, in respect of public sentiment and with the aim of keeping the price of dates within the reach of the general public during Ramadan, the existing import duty on dates has been reduced by 40 percent.

To ensure a stable supply and reasonable market prices of dates during the holy month of Ramadan, the government issued a gazette on December 23, reducing customs duty on date imports from 25 percent to 15 percent. This exemption will remain effective until March 31, 2026.

In addition, in the previous budget, the regulations related to advance income tax at the import stage were amended, reducing the applicable advance income tax on the import of dates and all fruits from 10 percent to 5 percent. The 50 percent rebate on advance income tax granted last year on the import of dates and other fruits has also been continued this year.

Due to the significant reductions in import duty and advance income tax on dates, the NBR believes that during the upcoming Ramadan, the supply of dates and their market prices will remain within the purchasing capacity of general consumers.