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Inflation thoughts
Photo: bdnews24.com Inflation in Bangladesh has dropped from 7.5 percent in January to 7.44 percent in February. This has almost been greeted by a sigh of relief by the Bangladesh Bank as the inflation...
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Budget 2014: Deficits, borrowings and the political economy
File Photo/bdnews24.com Understandably, the discussion now in Bangladesh is dominated by the recently presented 2014 budget. One can identify four broad questions in the debate. The first kind revolves...
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Elite stake and progress
The Honourable President of the country goes to London for eye treatment. A few months ago he went to Singapore for medical check-ups. The chairperson of the main opposition party, BNP, also sought...
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Remittance and black money
The title of this piece – remittance and black money – seems awkward. Remittance is something that we all want; the Bangladesh Bank celebrates its increased flows; the World Bank regards it as an...
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The Gorky of 1970
Starving villagers in Bhola in the aftermath of the cyclone seen sifting through debris for edible grains, then carrying it to the nearby corpse-strewn marsh for washing. Photo by Larry Burrows....
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Follies of capital account liberalisation
The Bangladesh cabinet has endorsed lifting of an embargo in place since independence, on investments in foreign countries by local businesses and individuals, under a liberalised foreign exchange...
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VAT: A regressive tax
Finance Minister Abdul Muhith The Honourable Finance Minister has backed down on his decision to reduce VAT. Apparently this was to ensure disbursement of the IMF’s tranches of Extended Credit Facility...
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National dialogue: Prelude or decisive solution?
Bangladesh President Abdul Hamid. There is no denying that the current political situation in Bangladesh is very grave. The cycle of current politically-motivated violence has caused over a hundred...
View ArticleIs it enough to achieve the middle-income country status?
Achieving the middle-income country (MIC) status is a professed objective of the Government of Bangladesh. This will be achieved by 2021, according to the upcoming budget speech to be placed in...
View ArticleDemocracy and Development
In recent times, the political discourse in Bangladesh has touched upon the question of democracy and development. It was triggered by comments from a Minister and a senior ruling party leader who...
View ArticleVAT: A regressive tax
The Honourable Finance Minister has backed down on his decision to reduce VAT. Apparently this was to ensure disbursement of the IMF’s tranches of Extended Credit Facility (ECF). In the words of the...
View ArticleNational dialogue: Prelude or decisive solution?
There is no denying that the current political situation in Bangladesh is very grave. The cycle of current politically-motivated violence has caused over a hundred deaths so far and many more serious...
View ArticleAccumulation of foreign reserves: What good is it?
Bangladesh is one of the few countries which can brag about growing its foreign reserves. At the close of 2015, the accumulated foreign currency reserves hit a record high of $27.49 billion –...
View ArticleTrans-Pacific Partnership Agreement: Will Bangladesh lose out?
The signing of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) by the trade ministers of 12 Asia-Pacific countries in February 2016 has caused some unwarranted concerns. Business leaders, think-tanksand...
View ArticleIslam, a secular religion
The title of this piece should raise eyebrows. How could Islam be secular? Religion and secularism are generally thought to be contradictory to each other. More so with Islam, a religion which, in...
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