Yemen in turmoil

Yemen is one of the most poor and undeveloped country in the Arab region with a population of 25 million. Its per capita income is only US$1200 and the geographical size 527,970 km². The country is inhabited by Sunni and...

Plea of individual taxpayers: Making tax collection hassle-free

Series of discussions, roundtable meetings and seminars are being arranged by different chambers/ research institutions, and a lot of articles are also published in newspapers to share/disseminate ideas and thoughts on income tax/VAT/Customs Duty rates towards creating a congenial business...

Manners, etiquettes and celebrations

So far as good manners and etiquettes are concerned, they cannot be said to be a strong point of the people in this part of the world. If the French and the English snobbery can be overlooked, the two peoples...

When ‘connections’ matter most

The problem of non-performing loans (NPLs), it seems, is far more serious than what it is officially projected. Bankers hardly talk in public about the problem. The honchos at the banking sector regulator, in this case the central bank, on...

Friends: Masters: Big Brothers: Elder Brothers

Many of the readers who were grown-up or were growing up like this scribe in the mid-sixties would be very familiar with the first two of the above words. While there were celebrations of the so-called 'Decade of Development', the...

Declining stock prices lower P/E ratios of cos

Price-Earning (P/E) ratios of 70 listed companies are now below 10, according to their latest financials. The P/E ratios of the majority of listed companies decreased mainly because of the decline in stock prices across the board barring that of...

Car imports thru’ Mongla to get dearer

The Mongla Port Authority (MPA) has decided not to offer anymore the low-cost 'space rent' facility to car importers from next year, officials said. Instead, they will be offered the high-cost 'wharf rent' facility to raise earnings of the port,...

B\\\'desh launches \\\'free\\\' mobile internet

Bangladesh is set to join a global platform, internet.org, to get free internet services through mobile phones, but concerns over privacy remains, officials said. They said Robi Axiata Ltd, a leading telecom operator, has already joined the internet.org to provide...

Watchdog getting power to cancel hospital licence

The government has initiated a move to revise the private hospitals and clinics act, empowering the authorities concerned to cancel licences or take harsh punitive measures against errant operators, officials have said. Issues like setting a unique standard in health...

Zero-duty on rice import may go

The government is likely to withdraw the zero tariff facility on import of rice with a view to protecting the farmers from losses due to the downward trend of rice and paddy prices, officials have said. The Bangladesh Tariff Commission...

India seeks sub-regional framework for faster mobility beyond borders

India is actively seeking to have a sub-regional framework at a faster pace for easy movement of people and products across borders in South and Southeast Asia. To set the milestone for the integration for greater mobility, a four-nation motor-...

Stocks rebound on securities regulator’s move

The stock market rebounded last week, after remaining sluggish in the last two consecutive weeks, as investors went on a buying spree following the securities regulator's latest move. Bangladesh Securities & Exchange Commission (BSEC) Monday called upon the brokerage houses...

Takayoshi Suzuki - a real foreign friend of Bangladesh

Foreign friends had contributed a lot and extended their helping hands of cooperation in different ways and played a vital role in our Great Liberation War in 1971. Among them some Japanese friends took part directly and indirectly in our...

Ensuring rights of women and child workers

The historic May Day was observed across the world, including Bangladesh, on May 1 to establish the rights of workers. The day commemorated the struggle by workers at Chicago in the USA over a century ago to establish the rights...

Preparation for seismic convulsion

If Dhaka City had a spine, a sense of horror would surely have run down that vital frame. The majority of its citizens have felt a chilling sensation running down their backbone when the last month's tremor shook the city...

Multiple skills for sustainable business

Multiple skills mean expertise in more than one job or task. Multi-skilled employees are endowed with a number of different skills, enabling them to do more than one kind of work.  Creating multi-skilled employees can be an important area in...

Revisiting PARC recommendation on grade-based public service

The administrative system of Bangladesh has been a legacy of its colonial past, which in many instances could not uphold the dignity and honour of public employees at all levels. Article 27 of the Constitution of People's Republic of Bangladesh...

NBR moves to detect evasion of taxes in printing industry

The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has launched a move to find out income tax payment status of the country's printing industry finding in it an untapped potential area where many of the taxable entities are avoiding payment of tax....

US set to renew GSP scheme sans BD

The US congress is set to enact a bill in the coming weeks renewing its GSP (Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) scheme for 122 developing and least developed countries except Bangladesh, trade officials have said. The Senate Finance and House...

Pvt sector credit growth marks rise in March

Private sector credit growth increased further in March over the previous month due to improving trend of the country's political situation, officials said. The growth in private sector credit flow rose to 13.63 per cent in March from 13.61 per...

Dhaka seeks membership at Consumers International

The government has taken a move to be member of the Consumers International (CI) aiming to enhance relations with the global consumer groups, officials have said. "We have decided to become a member of the CI in a bid to...

When tag makes money

Several thousands of CNG-run private auto-rickshaws are illegally plying the streets of Dhaka city on commercial basis violating the government order, officials said. Most of these auto-rickshaws come from outside the capital and put extra load on the city streets,...

How well-off mothers are in society

Celebration of the Mother's Day has until now made an appeal to a small segment of Bangladesh society. But still it has gained some ground in the collective consciousness of the country's young generation. Affluence is its lifeblood. The majority...

Tagore\\\'s educational philosophy takes a holistic view

As we observe Rabindranath Tagore's 154th birth anniversary today, let us talk  about his educational ideology. Education is a social process which is concerned with the development of an individual for participation in society both physically and mentally. But the...

Narrowing trade gap with India: Looking from fair economic perspective

Bangladesh has a close trade relationship with neighbouring India, the country that helped us achieve Independence in 1971. But unfortunately, the trade gap between the two countries has all through been increasing in favour of India. The battle of Bangladesh...

Govt revenue earnings from prime bourse down 20pc

The government’s revenue earnings from the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) fell 20 per cent in April compared to March, 2015 as the stock market witnessed lacklustre trading amid shaky investors’ confidence. The government bagged tax worth Tk 93.91 million in...

Govt to study preferential trade pact with Myanmar

The Commerce Ministry will review the potential of a preferential trade agreement with Myanmar under which both countries are to pare back duties to boost trade, a senior official said. The ministry is going to hold an inter-ministerial meeting today...

GDP count on quarterly basis, bank interest rates to be published daily

Data on country's gross domestic product (GDP) growth will be produced and disseminated quarterly instead of the annual basis while interest rates on both deposits and lending will be published daily instead of monthly by maintaining global standards. With this...

Slower investment, development drag down govt\\\'s tax collection

Government's tax-revenue collection fell short of its aggregate target by Tk 42.71 billion in the first nine months of the current fiscal year (FY), largely due to slowdown in investment and development activities. The National Board of Revenue (NBR) tapped...

LCMC of IBA, DU: Continuing education for professionals

Crafting the techniques and processes involved in communicating effectively in the real life business world is essential. In order to seed these skills to managers, IBA, Dhaka University has developed a special course. This initiative from the most the outstanding...