Prices of sugar, baby food, spices, kerosene, poultry items, medical equipment, mobile phone sets and paper remained the same, although the new budget cut levies on these items.

Though the new budget cut the supplementary duty on sugar from 30 percent to 15 percent, prices remained static. Local sugar was being sold at Tk 32 and Indian sugar at Tk 31 a kg.

A sugar trader told this correspondent that they were charging the same prices, as dealers of different sugar mills in Rajshahi did not reduce the prices.

An official of Rajshahi Sugar Mill said they were selling sugar at the previous rate of Tk 26,500 per metric ton as there was no new directive from the government since the budget.

Duty on paper was slashed from 80 percent to 25 percent, but imported paper prices went up. Paper sellers here said that the prices increased following rise in the dollar rate.

Levy on mobile phone sets was fixed at Tk 1500 a set, but price is also yet to come down. Cell phone dealers said there was almost no possibility of price reduction until their old stock gets exhausted.