Sohel Parvez

Sohel Parvez is the Business Editor of The Daily Star.

Tax on provident funds' income: One country, dual policy

A provision in the Income Tax Act 2023 created the discrimination

2d ago

Ageing in Bangladesh: Are we ready for more social spending?

The dependency ratio of the people who are over 65-plus years rose to 9.4 percent in 2023 from 8.6 percent in 2022.

2d ago

More households use refrigerators, ACs as income grows

Here, the steady growth of Bangladesh’s economy -- around 6 percent annually -- for the last two decades, and subsequent increases in overall buying capacity, played a big role. Another factor is the increasing domestic assembly of these items by local companies.

3d ago

Firms becoming more transparent in financial statements

The use of the document verification system (DVS) has increased in Bangladesh in the last couple of years, plugging the scope for unruly firms to submit forged audit reports. The number of audit reports signed by accountants by securing codes from the DVS rose by nearly 2 percent year-on-year to 38,316 in 2021-22 compared to a year prior, data from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Bangladesh (ICAB) showed.

1w ago

Rural deposits fall for first time in five years as inflation bites

Banks in Bangladesh witnessed a sharp decline in deposits in rural areas in the last quarter of 2023, the first fall in five years, data from the central bank showed.

1w ago

IMF suggests raising tax-free income limit to Tk 5 lakh

The International Monetary Fund has suggested the National Board of Revenue (NBR) restructure the personal income tax slabs and increase the tax-free income limit to Tk 5 lakh from the existing Tk 3.5 lakh.

2w ago

Costlier loans hand yet another blow to entrepreneurs

For the past two and a half years, entrepreneurs in Bangladesh have been facing numerous hurdles, beginning from a dollar shortage and a sharp rise in import costs for their escalated rates in global markets and the depreciation of the taka.

2w ago

Women outnumber men in farming sector

More women are joining the agriculture sector in Bangladesh as their job opportunities in industries, especially garment factories, have stagnated and men switch to non-farm sectors amid increased mechanisation of farming activities

3w ago
January 4, 2024
January 4, 2024

Financial account deficit swells as outflows intensify

Central bank data highlights continuing financial account deficit in the face of international currency outflow

January 4, 2024
January 4, 2024

Seven major sectors fell from grace as export dropped

Except knitwear, exports earnings have been in decline across the other seven major sectors according to data by EPB

December 30, 2023
December 30, 2023

Corn import to fall as dollar shortage persists

Bangladesh’s corn import may plunge in the marketing year (MY) 2023-24 beginning from May owing to reduced requirement of feed in poultry, aqua and other farms, and difficulties faced by millers in importing goods amid the ongoing forex shortage in the country, according to a recent report by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).

December 28, 2023
December 28, 2023

Businesses to face inflation, currency headwinds in year ahead too

Businesses in Bangladesh will face challenges in managing the impacts of higher inflation and exchange rate in 2024 as well while the cost of production and operation may increase amid the rising bank interest, several business and corporate leaders warn

December 26, 2023
December 26, 2023

Will the economy be out of the woods in 2024?

Bangladesh’s economy has been passing through a challenging time for the past two years amidst growing pressure on foreign exchange reserves, the sharp depreciation of the taka and an elevated level of inflation

December 15, 2023
December 15, 2023

Mustard acreage hits new high

Mustard cultivation in Bangladesh has reached a new high as improved varieties of the crop released by public research institutions are offering higher profits and yields

December 12, 2023
December 12, 2023

Deposit flow from rural areas dips amid high inflation

Banks received 24 percent lower deposits year-on-year in the July-September quarter of this year, down from Tk 341,667 crore to Tk 259,870 crore

December 5, 2023
December 5, 2023

Equity funds from foreign investors dip

Bangladesh received 41 percent lower equity capital from foreign investors in fiscal year (FY) 2022-23 compared to a year ago

November 26, 2023
November 26, 2023

Passenger movement through airports soars

passenger movement through airports in Bangladesh shot up by 32 percent in (FY) 2022-23, bolstered by increased domestic travel and outflow of migrant workers

November 23, 2023
November 23, 2023

Will coming months offer any relief from high inflation?

Food inflation at 12.56 percent in October this year is the highest in a decade

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