Businesses yesterday urged the government to hold comprehensive discussions with trade bodies before finalising the newly drafted income tax law.

The government’s move to include city corporations in the approval process for construction in Dhaka directly contradicts its effort to improve the ease of doing business in Bangladesh, according to various realtors.

Bangladesh’s economy is now rebounding from the pandemic-induced slowdown thanks to the government’s time-befitting steps alongside the implementation of stimulus packages, said the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) yesterday.

Stock investors are not adequately aware of the SME board while its stringent requirements led to sparse participation, so the board was almost dormant, said Khairul Bashar Abu Taher Mohammed, CEO of MTB Capital.

The cricket bat making hub that has boomed in the last three decades in Pirojpur’s Nesarabad upazila might soon go out of business as producers have been facing severe losses since the pandemic hit the country two years ago.

Business leaders and bankers yesterday said the economy was facing various challenges, including inflationary pressure, which may weaken the ongoing recovery.

The prospect of direct container shipping from Chittagong Port to European destinations is widening as at least four more countries have expressed interest in directly transporting goods by sea from Chattogram to Europe.

Bangladesh’s garment industry might be brimming with export orders from international buyers thanks to the ongoing turnaround of the global apparel supply chain, but it is the larger units that are running in full swing while smaller ones have been pushed into corners.

Four foreign and local companies will invest $50 million collectively at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Shilpa Nagar (BSMSN) in Chattogram’s Mirsarai area.

Alesha Mart yesterday started providing refunds over the non-delivery of goods to the customers who had placed orders making payments in advance.

The High Court yesterday allowed e-commerce platform Evaly’s ex-chairperson Shamima Nasrin and former CEO Mohammad Rassel to transfer 50 per cent of their shares to three family members to run the company.

“If the city corporations become involved in giving permission for construction, it would have a negative impact on the housing industry,” said Alamgir Shamsul Alamin, president of the Real Estate and Housing Association of Bangladesh (REHAB).

Rubber production is growing in Bangladesh, buoyed by increased domestic use and surging exports, particularly to neighbouring India.

Alexandra Berg von Linde, Swedish ambassador to Bangladesh, yesterday praised local companies for going green and expressed her desire to see Sweden’s green companies coming to the South Asian nation.

The key index of the Dhaka Stock Exchange plunged yesterday after the central bank specified the instruments where non-bank financial institutions’ investment would be considered while calculating their stock market exposure.

`The Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) yesterday urged the government to permit active Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) and reduce VAT on network devices to make internet services cheaper for the end users.

Production at state-run sugar mills is set to hit its lowest point in over a decade as sugarcane processing has fallen sharply amid reduced supply, according to the Bangladesh Sugar and Food Industries Corporation (BSFIC).

The Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) has eased one condition for trading shares on the small capital board to bring about more vibrancy.

Patrick in the US recently quit his job and decided to do something new so that he can control his lifestyle.

The timber trade that has been running on the banks of the Sandhya river in Nesarabad upazila of Pirojpur for decades has emerged as the largest hub for woods in Bangladesh.