The false promise of helicopter money

One of the most prominent questions concerning the global economy today is whether monetary policy is approaching the limit of its effectiveness. Inflation remains well below target in the eurozone and Japan, despite aggressive quantitative easing (QE) and negative policy...

Kuakata: The eternal source of scenic beauty

Patuakhali is a district under Barisal division in south-western part of Bangladesh. The lands of the district are composed of alluvial soil of the Meghna basin and a number of char lands. The main and majestic tourist attraction in Patuakhali...

Building our cities green

Building a green city is a prerequisite for living in a healthy environment. Starting to think of 'green city' could lead us to overcome the prospective many challenges across the globe. But, a misconception of the greenest city is still...

Obsession with the trivial

Jeorge Clooney has drawn attention to a subject most people have blissfully forgotten about. It is the preoccupation or obsession with the trivial. Three Golden Globe Awards and two Academy Awards (Oscar) winner, the actor, director and activist has made...

Customs tariff structure \'not business-friendly\'

The existing customs tariff structure is not efficient and business-friendly due to faulty categorisation system in duty rates on import of basic raw materials, intermediate products and final consumer goods, a study has revealed. It has found some of the...

The Fed\'s risky new mandate

 "In this world, there are only two tragedies," Oscar Wilde once wrote. "One is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it." As the US Federal Reserve inches closer to achieving its targets for the domestic economy,...

Govt to raise bank borrowing in June to meet budget deficit

The government is set to increase bank borrowing in June partly to finance its budget deficit by the end of ongoing fiscal year (FY) 2015-16, officials said. It may borrow Tk 108.50 billion from the banking system with issuing treasury...

AFD mission due next week

A high-powered mission of the French government will arrive in Dhaka on a five-day visit in order to discuss major conditions for the proposed €50 million loan agreement for upgradation of safety standards of the country's export-oriented ready­made garment (RMG)...

Weighing children\'s climate change impact

Climate change has begun to change our planet in unprecedented ways. We have already been witnessing increasingly frequent and severe floods, droughts and changes in precipitation as well as heat and water stresses. These phenomena are having, and will continue...

Hectic exercise on dynamics of labour force

Labour is the second most important factor of production, as basic economic theory says. Land is the first while capital and entrepreneur are the third and fourth factors. All the four factors are must for economic activities originated from production....

Banning private coaching

Ideally, nothing could be more welcome than saying a firm 'no' to private tuition or coaching. Only more so, because this all-cure educational solution has seen a cancerous growth in the country. The proliferation of this trade in education has...

Fair and equitable treatment in cross-border relationships

In this epoch of globalisation, foreign private investment is an imperative feature in the map of economic and infrastructural development for developing countries. The Government of Bangladesh vigorously seeks foreign private investment through widening an assortment of investment incentives under...

Budget implementation in a quagmire: Message for FY 17

Media reports indicate that the Finance Minister is once again going to propose an ambitious budget for the Fiscal Year 2016-17 (FY 17). I have genuine sympathy for the Finance Minister's desire. The reason is that central government expenditure as...

BPC averts account freeze on VAT payment pledge

On a pledge to pay Tk 8.49 billion out of the default tax, four companies under Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) averted a move by government's revenue authority to freeze their accounts.      Officials said the BPC authorities agreed Wednesday to pay...

Four-year-old Einstein dreams to get into Harvard at the age of ten

Meet Soborno Isaac Bari, known as "4-Year-Old Einstein," who has a very strange dream: He wants to get into Harvard at the age of 10, via the SAT.  Of course, the SAT can't determine whether he's truly ready for college-level...

Financial discipline imperative for banking sector

The recent incident of fund heist from Bangladesh Bank account with US Federal Reserve Bank has become a matter of growing concern. What is being termed as "treasury loot" through cyber-heist epitomizes the drainage of public money by means of...

Measuring the value of free

Reliable economic statistics are a vital public good. They are essential to effective policymaking, business planning, and the electorate's ability to hold decision-makers to account. And yet the methods we use to measure our economies are becoming increasingly out of...

The relation between export orientation and productivity

For long, empirical studies on the role of exports in promoting growth in general, and productivity in particular, used data at the country or industry level to test whether exports promote productivity growth or vice versa. However, a series of...

The other disincentives

The Bangladesh Bank (BB) on April 27 last softened its stance on banks' compliance with capital market exposure limit in response to requests from a section of stakeholders.  The latter had expressed their fear that stock prices would plunge further...

Much ado about growth forecasts

The statistical arm of the government, Bureau of Statistics (BBS), published national income accounts data for the current fiscal year at the beginning of the fourth quarter. The most discussed datum of the national accounts in the media is the...

Govt set to review status of 69 privatised mills

The government is set to review the status of 69 privatised jute and textile mills as part of a move to bring them under its management again, officials said. The move to inspect the mills has been initiated following allegations...

Legal proceedings begin to freeze their bank accounts

The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has started legal proceedings relating to the freezing of bank accounts of four companies under Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) for non-payment of VAT arrears worth Tk 26.89 billion.    As a part of the process,...

Spread in bank interest rates widens further

The existing spread between interest rates in the country's banking sector widened further as the commercial banks cut interests on public deposits far deeper than on lending, bankers said. Such imbalance in rate adjustments, according to economists, is meant for...

Falling DSE turnover hits govt earnings

The revenue earnings of the government from the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) fell 8.0 per cent in the first 10 months in the current fiscal year (FY) compared to the same period of last FY, as the turnover was witnessing...

BD-Nepal secy-level meet to discuss MVA trade modalities

The commerce secretaries of Bangladesh and Nepal will meet in Dhaka on May 10 after three years to find out the trade modalities under the Motor Vehicle Agreement (MVA), signed by four south Asian nations. Official sources said the two-day...

Remittance inflow through private banks

Remittance, one of the main drivers of the country's foreign currency reserve, showed a splendid performance in last decade. Foreign remittance sent by the Bangladeshi expatriates has positive impact on lowering unemployment, alleviating poverty and swelling up foreign exchange reserve....

Growth is good, quality compromised

The ongoing debate on the growth rate of current fiscal year is a part of regular policy debate in the country. The Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) released primary estimation of growth in the first week of April. This sparked...

On the road to reform

Reform, as it generally goes, is the improvement or amendment of existing  erroneous, irregular, corrupt and unbearable laws, rules and procedures which are archaic in nature  and non-implementable. Reform may not necessarily be equated with revolution as the latter means...

IFC, GIZ for tax-free solar lanterns

Two global lenders have requested the government to offer tax-free regime for import of solar-powered lanterns to help lighten the country's vast rural areas still out of national power grid, officials said. The International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the German...

Technology transfer for economic development

Technology and innovation in the fields of industry, trade and commerce have made a significant headway in many developed and developing countries. Some have acquired state-of-the-art technologies either through research and development (R & D) or from other countries. Improving...