Press Release: The Bangladesh Elevator, Escalator and Lift Importers Association (BEELIA) has called upon the government to reclassify elevators and escalators as Capital Machinery and rationalize the existing duty structure to ensure sustainable growth of the country’s housing, industrial, and infrastructure sectors.

Speaking at a press conference held in the Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) today, BEELIA President Md. Shafiul Alam Uzzwal stated that elevators are no longer luxury items in the context of modern urbanization, high-rise construction, industrialization, and inclusive infrastructure development. Rather, they are essential capital equipment that support economic growth and public accessibility.

He noted that elevators were removed from the Capital Machinery category in 2023 and subsequently classified as commercial products. Since then, import duties have increased consecutively in the fiscal years 2024 and 2025. As a result, the total duty burden on elevator imports has risen from approximately 11% in FY2023 to nearly 46% in FY2025. This significant increase has raised construction costs across various sectors, particularly the housing industry, forcing many elevator companies to scale down operations and resulting in substantial job losses.

During the press conference, BEELIA presented several key recommendations to the government, including:

Reclassifying elevators and escalators as Capital Machinery;

* Reducing the load factor value from USD 3.00 per kilogram to USD 1.50 per kilogram;

* Ensuring effective monitoring to prevent misuse of imported raw materials under the guise of local manufacturing;

* Simplifying and expediting port-level scaling, valuation, and customs clearance procedures;

* Reforming the duty and tax structure to facilitate the import of internationally certified, safe elevators;

* Rationalizing duties and taxes to discourage the growing use of low-quality and reconditioned elevators, which pose serious risks to public safety, and to ensure the availability of safe, durable, and internationally standard elevators at affordable prices.

Speaking at the event, REHAB President Dr. Ali Afzal stated that the current high rates of customs duties, VAT, and other taxes on elevator imports are having a direct negative impact on both consumers and the housing sector. He emphasized that, under the justification of protecting local industries, excessive duties have been imposed on internationally recognized elevator brands, significantly increasing the cost of elevator installation in high-rise buildings. Ultimately, these increased costs are being passed on to apartment buyers through higher per-square-foot prices, making home ownership increasingly difficult for middle-income families.

REHAB Senior Vice President Abdur Razzaq highlighted the importance of government support for the elevator sector in the interest of planned urbanization, smart city development, and safe infrastructure growth.

Other speakers at the press conference included BEELIA General Secretary Md. Eadul Haque, BEELIA Advisor Emdad Ur Rahman, Vice President of BEELIA Mr. Asim Sarkar, Director of BEELIA Mr. Mohammad Zakirul Haque, and BEELIA Chattogram Representative Md. Yusuf Nobi.

BEELIA leaders reiterated that the imposition of excessive and unjustified duties on elevators is increasing installation costs in multi-story buildings, which in turn contributes to higher housing prices for ordinary citizens. They also expressed concern that the rising cost burden is encouraging the use of low-quality and reconditioned elevators, creating significant public safety risks.

The speakers expressed hope that the government would give due consideration to the sector’s legitimate demands and take the necessary measures to support the elevator industry, which plays a vital role in the development of the country’s housing, industrial, and infrastructure sectors.