Md Asaduz Zaman
Reporter at The Daily Star, covering economics, planning and agriculture sectors in Bangladesh.
Reporter at The Daily Star, covering economics, planning and agriculture sectors in Bangladesh.
In the bustling area of Mirpur-10 in the capital, over 300 people gathered early Monday morning, hoping to buy subsidised essentialsthat serve as a lifeline for low-income families.
Pran-RFL Group, one of the country’s leading conglomerates with diversified interests, including in food processing, has started producing both whole wheat and refined flour alongside semolina.
Stocks soared yesterday as investors cheered the substantial cut in capital gains tax by the National Board of Revenue (NBR) to encourage big local and foreign investors.
Private facilities spring up around public hospitals as govt services fall short
The interim government plans to strengthen the universal pension scheme (UPS) with the aim of bringing people from all walks of life under a sustainable social security framework.
Amid cautious spending by the interim government and disruptions due to political turmoil, the implementation rate of the annual development programme (ADP) in the current fiscal year’s first quarter hit the lowest in at least 15 years.
Revenue collection in the first quarter of the current fiscal year showed a 6 percent year-on-year decline, raising concerns that the interim government’s fiscal space may be squeezed further amid the contractionary monetary policy.
Of their total corporate social responsibility (CSR) expenditure, banks spent 45 percent on disaster management violating rules in the first half of 2024, with bankers saying it mainly went to various funds maintained by the Prime Minister’s Office before the political changeover on August 5.
The tax administration backtracked from its decision to levy a 5 percent tax on incomes generated by manufacturers of motorcycles, air conditioners and refrigerators until 2032, raising it to the previous rate of 10 percent.
The National Board of Revenue (NBR) exempted various goods and services from value-added tax (VAT) payments to the tune of Tk 129,570 crore in 2022 to give some relief to citizens and facilitate industrialisation, thereby accelerating economic growth.
The government has moved away from its decision to raise the highest income tax rate to 30 percent and end tax holidays for investors in economic zones and hi-tech parks.
The government has neglected to outline adequate initiatives in the proposed budget for the next fiscal year to support migrant workers, meaning the country may miss out on opportunities to raise remittance earnings on the back of a higher number of Bangladeshis going abroad.
The National Board of Revenue (NBR) logged a year-on-year tax collection growth of nearly 15 percent in the first 11 months of the current fiscal year.
The share of the total allocation for spending directly on poverty reduction has come down for the upcoming fiscal year despite persistently higher inflation, deepening the uncertainties of the poor.
Despite widespread condemnation from economists, watchdogs, businesspeople and even multiple lawmakers, the government is expected to retain the amnesty allowing individuals and businesses to whiten black money without scrutiny by paying a 15 percent tax in the upcoming fiscal year.
Bangladesh’s high youth unemployment rate necessitates specific remedial steps, including ways for employment generation and adoption of prerequisite education and training, which the proposed national budget for fiscal year 2024-25 did not include, according to analysts.
The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has revised rules, including raising the capital requirements, for businesses to be listed as authorised economic operators (AEO), a status an increasing number of firms are expressing interest in.
Nearly five lakh additional establishments are expected to come under the tax net as the government is going to make proof of submission of return (PSR) mandatory for hotels, restaurants, clinics, and diagnostic centres.