Rejaul Karim Byron

IMF pushing for 15pc VAT on 213 goods

The International Monetary Fund has set a prior condition for introducing a full 15 percent statutory VAT rate on 213 products before placing the $645 million loan proposal for the fourth tranche to its executive board.

3h ago

‘Economy was more dire than people thought’

Finance adviser talks about govt’s 3 strategies to ease economic strain

2d ago

Lower-tier govt employees may get dearness allowance

The interim government may consider a dearness allowance for lower-grade government staff to provide respite from the ongoing high inflation.

2d ago

Power subsidies may rise 83% this fiscal year

Subsidies for the power sector are likely to balloon 83 percent this fiscal year as the interim government is planning to clear all arrears owed to private power producers.

4d ago

11 WB funded projects: Govt set to repurpose $670m loans

As much as $670 million (around Tk 8,200 crore) from slow-moving World Bank-funded projects will be repurposed, with most of the funds going towards budget support as the government looks to navigate the narrow fiscal space amid a slowing economy.

6d ago

Interest payments eat up more than half of govt revenue expenses

Over half of the government’s total revenue expenditure during the first four months of the current fiscal year of 2024–25 was on interest payments alone, mainly due to increased borrowing and a rise in the interest rates.

1w ago

Govt service delivery: Task force for using AI, social media

A task force formed by the planning ministry is going to recommend the formation of an independent centre for delivering government services via social media and utilising artificial intelligence (AI).

1w ago

Govt raises savings rates to cool inflation, woo investors

The interim government has increased interest rates on various national savings certificates to upwards of 12 percent in an effort to make these instruments more attractive to savers and to cool inflation.

2w ago
January 12, 2025
January 12, 2025

IMF to crank up pressure to boost tax collection

The International Monetary Fund is set to tighten the noose on the Bangladesh government over its dismal revenue mobilisation...

January 10, 2025
January 10, 2025

Government debt now in uneasy territory

Government debt increased 13.3 percent last fiscal year to a record Tk 18.3 lakh crore, raising concerns about repayment amid the low revenue mobilisation.

January 9, 2025
January 9, 2025

Interest rate on savings certificates to be raised

The interim government is set to increase the interest rates against various savings certificates to upwards of 12 percent as it looks to provide some relief to the fixed income group squeezed by the elevated inflation.

January 4, 2025
January 4, 2025

Private sector investment remains sluggish

Foreign exchange reserves are showing encouraging signs of stability due to record remittance inflows and rising exports, but private sector investment remains a concern for the government.

January 3, 2025
January 3, 2025

ADB attaches 20 conditions to another $600m budget support

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has outlined 20 conditions for Bangladesh to access $600 million in the second tranche of a loan for the implementation of its “Strengthening Economic Management and Governance Program”.

December 22, 2024
December 22, 2024

Has IMF experiment delivered?

Two years after Bangladesh turned to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a $4.7 billion bailout to address its worsening macroeconomic pressures, the nation stands at a crossroads.

December 21, 2024
December 21, 2024

Large budget looms amid high inflation

The government has planned a Tk 8.48 lakh crore budget for the next fiscal year, up 6.3 percent from this year’s budget, as it looks to usher in a period of moderate growth and low inflation.

December 18, 2024
December 18, 2024

Taskforce readies strategies to fix economic fault lines

The planning ministry’s taskforce for sustainable development has drafted a report with proposals to fix the economic fault lines identified by the white paper on the economic state of the country and achieve moderate economic growth.

December 16, 2024
December 16, 2024

Health spending falls substantially in Jul-Nov

The health ministry’s development spending has dropped substantially year-on-year in the first five months of the current fiscal year, despite the interim government’s move to raise its allocation in the revised budget.

December 12, 2024
December 12, 2024

ADB approves $600m to accelerate economic recovery

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has become the first among multilateral and bilateral lenders to respond to the interim government's call for budgetary support, approving $600 million aimed at easing pressure on foreign exchange reserves and accelerating economic recovery.