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New Age | Foreign investors seek predictable tax policies
Several foreign chambers take part in a meeting on the upcoming national budget for FY 2026-27 at the NBR headquarters in the capital on Sunday. | Press release The foreign investors said that Bangladesh must ensure predictable tax policies and improve the overall investment climate of Bangladesh to attract and retain both local and foreign investment. They also proposed to simplify procedures such as removing or expediting certification requirements, introducing a standardised foreign currency conversion method aligned with international practices, and rationalising withholding tax rates to eliminate inconsistencies. The leaders of the foreign chambers revealed it at a pre-budget meeting on the national budget for the financial year 2026-27 with the National Board of Revenue chairman, Abdur Rahman Khan, at the NBR headquarters in the capital on Sunday. At the discussion, the American Chamber of Commerce in Bangladesh stressed the need for long-term tax certainty, saying stable and consistent policies are crucial for building investor confidence and supporting long-term business planning. Syed Ershad Ahmed, president of AmCham, called for a gradual reduction in corporate tax rates and the introduction of structured tax stability frameworks to attract large-scale investments. He proposed removing the certificate requirement or reducing the timeline to 7 days to speed up the process. He also said that the corporate tax rate for foreign commercial bank is 40 per cent whereas tax rate for local listed commercial bank is 37.5 per cent. He urged a consistent tax rate, 37.5 per cent, for both foreign and local commercial banks, along with urging to reduce duties on both cards and POS machines to 15 per cent from existing cumulative 38 per cent-76 per cent to promote digital payment adoption. He also recommended a 5 per cent cash incentive for digital payments to accelerate digital payment adoption. AmCham also proposed to rationalise the minimum tax rate to 0.30 per cent of turnover from 1 per cent. ‘Carbonated and sweetened beverages currently face a very high tax burden, cumulative 54 per cent (15 per cent VAT, 30 per cent supplementary duty and import duties),’ he added. He recommended the reduction of SD from 30 per cent to 15 per cent so the overall TTI goes down which is essential to rebuild confidence among both local stakeholders and foreign investors. In her presentation, Nuria Lopez, chairperson of EuroCham Bangladesh, also recommended to reduce minimu...
Boosting govt's tax revenue earnings | The Financial Express
The economy that the incumbent BNP government has inherited from the past bears the legacy of rampant corruption and politicization that distorted all vital state institutions. The tax authority, the National Board of Revenue (NBR), was no exception. Small wonder that the past regime was marked by high tax evasion, political patronage and unrealistic budgetary process causing the NBR to miss its revenue collection targets over the years. Against this backdrop, the incumbent government is planning to introduce a series of tax measures so higher revenue earnings targets could be achieved. It is worthwhile to note at this point that the country's tax-to-GDP ratio now at approximately 7 per cent is among the lowest in the world. So, the country's very low domestic revenue collection profile poses a significant challenge before the economy. To get around the predicament, the NBR is reportedly considering introducing a slew of measures to strengthen revenue collection for the upcoming fiscal year (FY 2026-27). Those include reintroduction of wealth tax, a new inheritance tax, higher rates for the ultra-rich, and rationalizing the prevailing tax exemption regime. Such measures to boost revenue earning are now the imperative seeing that the country is faced with mounting pressure on public finances, with the government struggling to meet revenue targets amid a widening fiscal deficit and rising debt servicing costs. In this connection, the issue of wealth tax is being reconsidered as it is not quite new in this part of the world. In fact, it was in place since 1963 until it was abolished in 1999. The reasons behind abolishing the provision at that time include high administrative costs, low revenue generation and a shift towards taxing incomes and capital gains rather than accumulated assets. At that time, the factors leading to low tax generation (from wealth tax) included broad exemptions resulting in taxpayers often shifting their assets into exempt categories which reduced effective tax base. In that case, acknowledging that challenges remain regarding asset valuation and availability of the necessary data, a committee was learnt to have been formed to examine the issues in more detail. Apart from establishing a standard procedure of asset evaluation and ensuring availability of adequate data, exercising of necessary caution would also be advisable on the part of the tax authority (while levying inheritance tax) to avoid triggering capital flight. In a similar...
BCCCI presents proposals to NBR ahead of budget
The National Board of Revenue (NBR) held a pre-budget consultation meeting with the Bangladesh China Chamber of Commerce & Industry (BCCCI) at its office in Dhaka's Agargaon ahead of the national budget for FY 2026-2027.
NBR to introduce business-friendly tax structure in upcoming budget ...
File Photo DHAKA, April 5, 2026 (BSS) - National Board of Revenue (NBR) Chairman Md. Abdur Rahman Khan today announced that the government will prioritize a business-friendly tax structure in the upcoming national budget, balancing the urgent need for increased revenue with the necessity of fostering a conducive investment climate.
