United News of Bangladesh

Licensed Legal Firearms Owners on Tuesday demanded the immediate withdrawal of a proposed advance income tax (AIT) on legally held weapons, calling it irrational, internationally unprecedented and a threat to public safety. Licensed Legal Firearms Owners Association of Bangladesh came up with the demand at a press conference at the Jatiya Press Club. Under the proposed budget measure, pistol and revolver owners would be required to pay Tk 1 lakh annually as advance income tax, while shotgun and rifle holders would face a Tk 50,000 annual levy, on top of already steep renewal fees. “No country in the developed or developing world imposes advance income tax on licensed firearms. This is without precedent,” said association spokesperson and organiser Mahbub A Khuda Jewel, presenting a comparative breakdown of licensing fees across countries. He noted that while most Asian nations charge under Tk 5,000 for firearm licence renewal, Bangladesh already levies Tk 20,000 for pistols and revolvers and Tk 10,000 for shotguns and rifles. Adding a tax of Tk 1 lakh or Tk 50,000 on top of these fees, he said, would be a gross violation of international norms and an unbearable burden on ordinary citizens. Speakers also raised national security concerns, noting that a large number of firearms looted from police stations during the unrest following August 5 last year remain unrecovered. They argued that the visible presence of legal gun owners currently deters criminals from openly using those weapons, an invisible security shield that would dissolve if licensed holders are financially compelled to surrender their arms. Association organiser of the event Md Kamruddin Rashed warned that imposing such a tax during an already difficult period for the country would be deeply harmful, while others cautioned that the move could drive talented competitive shooters away from the sport, dealing an irreversible blow to Bangladesh's athletics sector. The association placed three formal demands before the government: Immediate cancellation of the proposed AIT of Tk 1 lakh on pistols and revolvers, and Tk 50,000 on shotguns and rifles, along with all additional fee hikes, simplification of the firearm licensing and renewal process for eligible citizens in the interest of national security and formulation of a realistic, modern and security-friendly fee structure in consultation with licence holders.

Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), the leading university in Asean, has launched the Yunus Professional Masters in Social Business and Entrepreneurship. The professional post-graduate programme will start enrolling students in August and is likely to appeal to its intended audience of mid-career professionals and aspiring entrepreneurs. Nobel Laureate Prof Muhammad Yunus and AIT President Professor Eden Woon addressed the global launching of the programme online on Wednesday. Professor Faiz Shah, director of Yunus Centre at AIT and also the academic head of Yunus Professional Masters Programme, presented the details of the content of the programme, the Yunus Centre said on Friday. Also read: Dr. Yunus made chancellor of Malaysian University He said this programme is a one-of-a-kind masters degree to translate the vision of the Nobel peace laureate. Professor Yunus, a thought leader in social business and enterprise-led development, said: "The problems of the world are created in classrooms; they pass on to students only a narrow selfish narrative of the world." He said education is like watching the same side of the moon, again and again, never allowing the students to ask the question of what is on the other side of the moon. "In our campuses, we have to build new rockets and spacecraft to take us to the forbidden side of the academic moon. This masters degree will be an initiative to build that rocket to explore the other side," Professor Yunus said. President Eden Woon said Professor Yunus has inspired millions around the world. "This programme will be highly attractive in this day and age when the world is not doing very well." Also read: It’s universities’ job to redesign economic theories: Dr Yunus The degree will be a curated programme, built from the School of Environment, Resources and Development and School of Management of AIT, containing an integrated practicum led by Professor Yunus, and connected with the social business academia network connecting 91 universities located in five continents. Students learn development precepts and management principles through regular coursework and acquire practical exposure through the internship integrated into the Yunus Colloquium. AIT, the entrepreneurial heartland of Asia, has accomplished the rank of top 20 in a global ranking for its commitment and performance around integrating the UN SDGs, particularly eliminating poverty, into the curriculum and research.