Tax-free income limit may rise to Tk 3.75 lakh
The government is planning a series of measures in the upcoming national budget to alleviate the tax pressure on individuals and businesses, including raising the tax-free income threshold and relaxing certain compliance requirements.
12 May 2025, 18:00 PM
Budget should draw clear roadmap for smooth LDC GRADUATION
The upcoming national budget must outline a comprehensive roadmap to prepare for the country’s graduation from the least developed country (LDC) club in 2026, prioritising tariff rationalisation, tax reform, and sustainable fiscal policies, according to a leading business leader.
11 May 2025, 18:00 PM
Dev budget for FY26 lowest in four years
The interim government is set to slash the development budget for the fiscal year (FY) 2025-26 by 14 percent year-on-year, as it struggles with limited fiscal space and steers away from costly mega-projects.
6 May 2025, 18:00 PM
Falling food prices ease inflation
Falling food prices over recent months have helped cool inflation further in April, according to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), with economists attributing the easing of price pressures to post-festival effects.
5 May 2025, 18:00 PM
NBR targets 10.5% tax-GDP ratio by FY35 amid IMF push
The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has set a target to raise Bangladesh’s tax-to-GDP ratio to 10.5 percent by the fiscal year 2034-35, as part of its newly formulated 10-year revenue strategy, according to official documents.
28 April 2025, 18:00 PM
Tax authority to split. Will it bring the desired outcome?
Touted as a historic overhaul, the move has ignited debate over whether it will drive meaningful reform or merely deepen the layers of bureaucracy, given the NBR's persistent failure to meet its targets.
27 April 2025, 18:00 PM
March revenue growth nears 10%, but no cause for cheer
NBR still needs Tk 65,000cr per month to hit IMF target for FY25
19 April 2025, 18:00 PM
Govt sets Tk 4.99 lakh crore target for NBR in FY26
The new target has raised eyebrows, given the underwhelming performance in revenue collection so far
16 April 2025, 18:00 PM
Remittance hits record high, but workers remain neglected
Despite a record increase in remittance this year, experts and migrant workers say the government has yet to take meaningful steps to alleviate their suffering or ensure their benefits and welfare.
17 December 2024, 18:00 PM
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.
17 December 2024, 18:00 PM
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.
15 December 2024, 18:00 PM
Food distribution falls despite persistent inflation
Despite the fact that the population has been reeling from heightened inflationary pressures over the past two years, public food distribution under various social protection schemes fell by about 6 percent year-on-year in the first half of the current fiscal year.
14 December 2024, 18:00 PM
Bangladesh unemployment grimmer than it looks
The past government had been relying on international definitions and standards that are over four decades old to measure labour data, painting a rosy picture of low unemployment and an improved labour market.
11 December 2024, 18:00 PM
Another 1 lakh graduates joined job hunt last year
Over 1 lakh youth with higher academic degrees joined the already long rally of graduates in a gruelling search for jobs last year, according to the latest official data, as experts point to an oversupply of graduates and a lack of skills among them.
3 December 2024, 18:00 PM
Lower revenue collection narrows fiscal space
Revenue collection in the first four months of the current fiscal year declined by 1 percent year-on-year
26 November 2024, 18:00 PM
Hunt for OMS food grows desperate
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.
21 November 2024, 00:00 AM
Pran now making flour, semolina
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.
9 November 2024, 18:00 PM
Stocks jump as NBR cuts capital gains tax
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.
4 November 2024, 18:00 PM
The hidden cost of healthcare
Private facilities spring up around public hospitals as govt services fall short
1 November 2024, 18:00 PM
Interim govt to strengthen universal pension scheme
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.
30 October 2024, 18:00 PM
ADP spending in first quarter lowest in 15 years
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.
28 October 2024, 18:00 PM
Revenue receipts fall 6% in Jul-Sep
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.
22 October 2024, 18:00 PM
Half of banks’ CSR spending went to disaster management
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.
21 October 2024, 18:00 PM
Foreign debt servicing surges 29% in Jul-Sep
Bangladesh’s foreign debt servicing surged 29 percent year-on-year in the first three months of fiscal 2024-25 owing to the country’s expanded foreign loan portfolio and the rise in global interest rates.
20 October 2024, 18:00 PM
Paltry safety net coverage for the poor: A widow gets Tk 550 a month!
Maleka Begum, 70, carries the weight of nearly five decades of widowhood on her shoulders. Since her husband Abul Hossain Gazi died in 1972, her life has been a constant struggle.
17 October 2024, 01:00 AM
New policy limits OMS dealers’ tenure to 5 years
The OMS programme is a public food distribution system under which the government sells rice and flour at subsidised rates through authorised dealers and trucks across the country.
14 October 2024, 05:04 AM
Why the cost of Matarbari deep-sea port project is going up
Four years after its approval, the cost of the Matarbari deep-sea port project in Cox’s Bazar has escalated, while the deadline has been pushed back too.
8 October 2024, 18:00 PM
Debt servicing costs outweigh incoming loans
Bangladesh’s cost to service loans from multilateral and bilateral lenders surpassed the amount received from them during the first two months of fiscal year (FY) 2024-25, indicating that the country’s already fragile foreign exchange reserves may be stressed further.
30 September 2024, 18:00 PM