No end to target killings

Four killings in just five days! It all started with the hacking and shooting of Mahmuda Khanam, wife of police officer Babul Akhter. Then a small trader of the Christian community was butchered. This was followed by the slaying of...

Errant SoCBs and a tolerant owner

A former top central banker Khandaker Ibrahim Khaled last week suggested putting the state-owned commercial banks (SoCBs) under full control of the Bangladesh Bank to help the latter from sinking further.  He, however, vehemently opposed their divestment citing the presence...

Govt projects Tk 54.99b additional revenue in next fiscal year

The government has projected an additional revenue income worth Tk 54.99 billion in the upcoming fiscal year (FY) with readjusted VAT and customs-related measures in the deficit budget. The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has prepared the projection on the...

India seeks waiver of AIT on Rampal plant, imported equipment

India has sought waiver of advance income tax (AIT) on the plant and equipment being imported for 1,320-megawatt coal-fired power plant at Rampal in Bagerhat, officials said. The neighbouring country has also sought exemption from purchasing any insurance/re-insurance for the...

Studying Bangladesh\'s comparative advantages

The analysis of comparative advantage is important from the policy perspective. Trade policies of a country should be tuned to promote export items where the country has comparative advantage.  The Revealed Comparative Advantage (RCA) analysis, suggested by Bela Balassa in...

European integration with or without Britain

When British Prime Minister David Cameron agreed with the European Union (EU) in February on revised terms for the United Kingdom's membership, he insisted that the EU be recognized officially as a "multi-currency union." With clear limits on European integration...

Hillary Clinton\'s Armani jacket

Whether it is a first-world or a third-world country, women in general face sexism on a daily basis. In the western world, some people say feminism is no longer needed as sexism doesn't happen anymore. Nothing could be further from...

Let\'s get fiscal

Everyone knows there is no gain without pain. But there can be pain without gain - a lesson that Western populations have been learning the hard way since at least 2012. With years of fiscal austerity in the United States,...

BUTEX, affiliated colleges to raise number of seats

The Bangladesh University of Textiles (BUTEX) and its four affiliated textile engineering colleges are going to raise the number of seats by around 300 to meet the increasing demand for textiles graduates for the country's ever-growing apparel and textile sector,...

Whither rural Bengal\'s traditional tranquillity and peace

In the late nineteenth century Tagore in his famous poem "Dui Bigha Jomi" (Two bighas of land) portrays Bengal's villages as "Chayasunibir shantir neer chhoto chhoto gramguli" (Thickly shadowed tiny villages abode of peace). Many changes have taken place since...

Attitude of rural women towards savings and money management

The womenfolk in all sections of our society are normally seen to have a general propensity to save something for the future and in many cases they are found to be the main family members who more or less always...

The potential date holds out for Bangladesh

As far as human knowledge goes, date is a unique fruit of the world that can be considered a complete balanced food for mankind. When it comes to calories and nutrition, it is better than many other foods and fruits....

Boxer who made a savage sport beautiful

Brutal is the game he took to but only to make it beautiful. He is none other than the history's greatest boxer, Muhammad Ali. Yet if he were a mere champion boxer, he would perhaps never have conjured up the...

Remembering an uncle on his first death anniversary

I do not know how to start but my inner instinct tells me to write a remembrance. This remembrance is for the memory of my uncle, Azimuddin Ahmed, former Home Secretary on his first death anniversary on June 11, 2016....

Govt moves to slash interest rate by 1.0pc

Against the backdrop of poor response from small investors to get loan under the capital market refinancing scheme, the government has taken a move to reduce the interest rate by 1.0 per cent, officials said. At present, the interest rate...

Education demands more budgetary allocation

This year's budgetary allocation for education has increased substantially but it still falls far short of the United Nations Education, Science and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)-set benchmark of 20 per cent of the budget and 6.0 per cent of the gross...

The gas and fertiliser story

Since Bangladesh's fertiliser industry is intimately related with its natural gas production, how it has performed has been shaped greatly (but not exclusively) by (a) domestic gas demand-supply balances; and (b) global gas price levels. Natural gas contains nitrogen and...

Latin America\'s rising right

From changes in government in Argentina and Brazil to mid-course policy corrections in Chile, Latin American politics appears to be undergoing a rightward shift. But rather than being "pulled" by the attractiveness of the economic policies that the right is...

Revenue board introduces \'progressive\' taxation for contractors\' bills

Contractors receiving higher payments have to pay tax at source at higher rates on their bills as per rules proposed for the upcoming fiscal year.  The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has proposed to raise the rate of tax at...

The new backlash against globalisation

There was a palpable sense of discomfort at the latest Group of Seven (G7) summit meeting in Ise-Shima, Japan. By the time the leaders of the world's major developed economies meet again, there is no telling which of them will...

Donald Trump ushering in a Goldwater impact on GOP

Donald Trump's latest and ongoing fight with US District Judge Gonzalo Curiel who has Mexican lineage and the manner of the fight could have dangerous consequences not just for his pursuit for the White House but also for the prospects...

Sympathy overshadowed

Finance Minister AMA Muhith sounded quite sympathetic towards the cause of the private sector employees and self-employed persons when he, in his June 02 budget speech, spelt out a plan to introduce a 'comprehensive pension scheme' for all.  But his...

IMF prods govt to enforce shelved VAT law soon

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) suggests the government to take necessary preparation to launch the shelved VAT (value added tax) law 'in the near future'. In the face of a strong opposition from businesses, the government, willy-nilly, backtracked on its...

Pvt sector credit growth up further

Domestic credit flow to private sector increased further as cut-down lending rates roped in corporate entities to borrow more from local banks than overseas sources, bankers said. Private-sector credits grew to 15.59 per cent in April 2016 on a year-on-year...

Sharp rise in VAT appeal surety

Aggrieved businesses or individuals will be required to pay 50 per cent of the assessed amount in advance while filing cases with the tribunal and appellate tribunals dealing with VAT related disputes. In the Finance Bill 2016, the government has...

UK\'s DP Rail seeks to invest $7.5b

DP Rail, a UK (United Kingdom) company, has expressed its interest to invest US$ 7.5 billion for construction of Payra-Dhaka railway connectivity, officials said. On June 2 last, the company put up a proposal to the Ministry of Railways showing...

Selection of contractors for two sections of MRT soon

The Dhaka Metro rail project is ready to select contractors for two more segments of mass rapid transit line 6 (MRT-6) with the target to start the service by 2019. Project office sources said bids for contract package numbers 2...

No refund of paid advance tax to private car owners

Private car owners will neither be able to get refund of their paid advance tax against registration and fitness renewal of their cars nor carry forward the amount as per proposed tax measure in the Finance Bill-2016.    As per the...

The legendary Muhammad Ali

Muhammad Ali, whose record-setting boxing career, flair for showmanship and political stands made him one of the best-known figures of the 20th century, died on June 03, 2016 aged 74. Ali had long suffered from Parkinson's syndrome which impaired his...

Germany\'s strange turn against trade

The window of opportunity to complete the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) between the United States and the European Union (EU) is closing quickly. National elections will be held this year and next in the US, France, and Germany,...