Land registration activities in Pirojpur municipal areas have slowed sharply after a new source tax rule raised the cost of registering land, pushing many buyers and sellers away from transactions.
Under the new rule, buyers now have to pay Tk25,000 in source tax for each decimal of land in Pirojpur municipality, instead of the previous four per cent charge on land value.
The rule, which came into effect on 1 July 2025, has increased registration costs several times, leaving many buyers in difficulty and reducing the number of registered deeds.
Pirojpur Sadar Sub-Registry Office, once busy with land buyers, sellers and deed writers, now remains largely quiet as transactions have dropped.
Officials, employees and deed writers are passing idle hours as fewer people are coming to complete land registration.
People involved in the sector said the higher tax has made land transactions costly and discouraged ordinary people from buying or selling land.
Government revenue collection from the office has also fallen by nearly half, they said.
Pirojpur municipality Ward 2 resident Fazlu Shikder said land sales have almost stopped after the government introduced Tk25,000 source tax per decimal for municipal land registration.
He said he had been trying to sell land for one and a half to two years to meet medical expenses and arrange his son’s marriage, but could not find buyers because of the high registration cost.
“The price of 152 decimals of paddy land inside the municipality is only Tk40 lakh, but the total cost with registration fee will stand at Tk48 lakh,” he said.
“That is why no one wants to buy the land,” he added.
He urged the government to reduce the source tax and restore the previous system.
Pirojpur Deed Writers’ Association President Abdul Hamid said land transactions have nearly stopped since the new source tax rule was introduced.
Earlier, about 350 to 400 deeds were registered every month at Pirojpur Sadar Sub-Registry Office, but the number has now fallen to 100 to 150, he said.
The drop has caused a major fall in government revenue and badly affected hundreds of people involved in the profession, he said.
“Earlier, a deed writer used to prepare four to five deeds a day,” he said.
“Now many deed writers do not get even one deed in a week,” he added.
He said the government should reconsider the rule, taking into account the suffering of ordinary people and those dependent on the land registration sector.
Pirojpur Sadar Sub-Registrar Md Humayun Bin Siraj said office work has declined and staff members are passing somewhat idle time because of the fall in registration activities.
The new source tax has increased the burden on service seekers, reduced deed registrations and lowered government revenue, people involved in the sector said.
Under the revised rates, Tk25,000 in source tax is charged for each decimal of land in Sadar municipality, Tk10,000 for each decimal in upazila municipalities and Tk500 for each decimal in union areas.
Before the rule came into effect, the tax was four per cent in municipal areas and two per cent in union areas.
