United News of Bangladesh

The number of ((Tax Identification Number) TIN holders in the country is increasing, but the return submission has not increased proportionately, said the National Board of Revenue (NBR). According to NBR, at the end of the deadline for returns submission for fiscal year 2023-24, only 24,381 companies/institutions submitted returns, which is 8.45 percent of the total institutions. It means more than 92 percent of the companies did not pay tax returns. Official documents of the Registrar of Joint Stock Companies and Firms shows the number of registered public and private limited companies till December 2023 is 2.88 lakh. Read: NBR seeks budget proposals from chambers and institutions by February 8  According to the data, out of these, 2.64 lakh companies have not paid tax. The rule of NBR, it is mandatory to file income tax return irrespective of profit or loss after registration. However, most of the companies did not file their income tax returns till the first six months (July-December) of FY 2023-24. Read: NBR working for innovative  customs management: NBR Chairman  The NBR official said that many companies have not started a business despite having registration, said Tax Commissioner Iqbal Bahar. “Again, many companies do not submit returns and many are using fake addresses. As a result, the government is losing a large amount of revenue,” he added.

Obaidul Quader, General Secretary of Awami League and Minister of Road Transport and Bridges, today said that the ongoing conflict in Myanmar is its internal matter and does not involve any dispute with Bangladesh. However, Bangladesh will address any border issues with Myanmar through diplomatic channels and bring the matter to the attention of the United Nations. During a press briefing at Awami League's central office on Bangabandhu Avenue in the capital this noon, Quader emphasized that efforts are underway internationally to resolve the Rohingya crisis. "We do not want to engage in war with anyone, including Myanmar. Our approach is to resolve any issue through dialogue. If any matter of dispute with Myanmar arises, we will draw the attention of the United Nations. There are international forums for these discussions, and the UN has a role to play," he stated. BNP's black flag program ‘anti-people’: Quader The Road Transport and Bridges Minister highlighted that incidents occurring at the Myanmar border are internal but have spilled over, with shelling and mortar fire affecting Bangladesh and resulting in the death of two in Bangladesh territory. The matter could involve summoning the Myanmar Ambassador to Bangladesh for discussions, with further decisions to be announced in due course. In response to journalists' questions about nominations for the reserved women's seats in the national parliament, Quader mentioned that the Awami League would nominate dedicated and tested individuals. He praised Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for her foresight and her diligence in identifying potential candidates during district visits. Earlier in the day, Quader inspected the nomination form distribution and submission process for the reserved women's seats in the 12th national parliament at the Awami League's central office. The process, which began today, will continue until Thursday. Obaidul Quader seeks China’s role for Rohingya repatriation

In Chapainawabganj’s Shibganj Upazila, an acute healthcare crisis has emerged as the area’s sole ambulance has been immobilized for more than three months, leaving approximately 7 lakh residents without essential emergency transport. The halt in service is due to a severe funding shortage for fuel, exacerbating the plight of those in need of urgent medical care. This service interruption means that critically ill patients are no longer transported to the district’s Sadar Hospital or the Rajshahi Medical College Hospital (RMCH) for advanced treatment. Previously, the ambulance played a crucial role in ferrying patients and their families based on medical necessity to these higher-level care facilities. The absence of the ambulance service has severely impacted the community, especially the poor and low-income families who cannot afford private ambulance services. Read more: Health Minister warns unauthorized hospitals and clinics; addresses tragic death of Ayan The financial strain is not limited to those without means; financially stable residents also bear the brunt, facing additional expenses to secure alternative emergency transport. The Shibganj Upazila Health Complex, a 100-bed facility, typically sees over 400 visitors daily, seeking basic medical services — a testament to the community’s reliance on available healthcare resources. Investigations reveal that the ambulance’s operational halt is linked to an outstanding debt of Tk 14 lakh at a local petrol station, leading to a suspension of fuel supply since November 4 last year. Dr. Mahmudur Rashid, the district’s Civil Surgeon, confirmed the crisis, stating that they have reached out to higher authorities, requesting financial support to overcome this critical situation. The ambulance service will resume soon upon arrival of the fund, he added. Read more: Saudi Arabia opens doors to Bangladeshi doctors and nurses: A milestone in skilled manpower recruitment

Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA) is going to organise 'Safe Food Carnival 2024' for the first time from February 8. A press conference was held in the head office of BFSA on Tuesday to share details of the event. Chairman of BFSA, Md Abdul Kayowm Sarkar, shared the details. The three day carnival will be held at Bangabandhu International Conference Center at Dhaka's Agargaon to raise awareness about the importance of safe and hygienic food practices, bringing together industry experts. No one can run a business violating law: Food Minister Abdul Kayowm said that Bangladesh Safe Food Authority has been thinking of organising such an event for several years with the aim of informing the public about the safety practices maintained by various establishments in food production, processing and export and to increase coordination among institutions. From that perspective, it has decided to organise the 'Safe Food Carnival'. He said their monitoring activity will be beefed up during Ramadan to ensure food safety. A total of 70 stalls will be set up at the carnival to showcase various food items. Members of BFSA Nazma Begum and Mohammad Shoeb, secretary Abdun Naser Khan were also present at the meeting. The event will be open to all. Bangladesh participating in UN FAO Asia, Pacific Regional Conf to shape future of food security, reform regional food systems  

As many as 264 Myanmar security forces have fled to Bangladesh amid clashes between the country’s military and the armed rebel group, Arakan Army. A total of 264 Myanmar forces including BGP, army personnel and immigration officials have taken shelter in Bangladesh, said Shariful Islam, public relations officer (PRO) of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB). The Myanmar forces have entered Bangladesh through Tumbru border in Naikhangchhari upazila of Bandarban district with arms and ammunition. The BGB disarmed them and took them to a safe shelter, he said. Read: No more Rohingyas to be allowed in: New BGB Chief The BGB PRO said members of the BGP started taking shelter in Bangladesh since Sunday morning. A Bangladeshi woman and a Rohingya man were killed following an explosion of a mortar shell at a house in Jolpaitoli under Ghumdum union of Naikhongchhari upazila in Bandarban district on Monday. Amid the ongoing unrest along the Bangladesh-Myanmar border, academic activities of five government primary schools in Naikhangchhari upazila have been suspended. The government has taken the decision considering the safety of the teachers and students. A notification was issued in this regard on Monday. Meanwhile, Major General Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Siddiqui, newly appointed director general of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), has said, “The border situation is now under control and we are trying to deal with the situation as humanely as possible while maintaining international relations.”   Until Monday night, 115 Myanmar forces had taken shelter in Bangladesh and 114 security personnel arrived till Tuesday morning while 35 more entered in the afternoon, he said. Besides, 65 Rohingyas, who tried to enter the country by boats, were sent back, he said. “No more Rohingya will be allowed,” said the BGB chief. Read: Under-trial prisoner ‘tortured to death’ in Chattogram jail  Inspector General of Police (IGP) Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, earlier today,  detailed the collaborative efforts of Bangladesh Police, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), and local administration to maintain law and order at the Ghumdhum border in Bandarban, following directives from the government.   The Arakan Army is the well-trained and well-armed military wing of the Rakhine ethnic minority movement, which seeks autonomy from Myanmar’s central government. It is a member of the armed ethnic group alliance that recently gained strategic territory in Myanmar’s northeast. Along with the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army — operating together under the name of the Three Brotherhood Alliance — it launched a coordinated offensive on October 27, 2023 in northern Shan state along the border with China. That offensive has posed the greatest battlefield challenge to Myanmar’s military rulers since the army seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021. The alliance says it has seized more than 250 military outposts, five official border crossings and a major city near the Chinese border, along with several important towns, according to an AP report. Rakhine is where a brutal army counterinsurgency operation in 2017 drove about 740,000 members of the Muslim Rohingya minority to seek safety across the border in Bangladesh. Rakhine is also known by its older name of Arakan.  

Four people including a rickshaw van driver were killed and five pedestrians were injured as a bus of Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) hit two rickshaw vans in Chirirbandar upazila of Dinajpur this morning, said police. The deceased were van driver Abdul Majid, 50; Nazrul Islam, 48; Lata Yea Chakma, 52; and Chenju Chakma, 48. Day labourer dies after being hit by drum truck in city's Uttara Of them, Majid and Nazrul hailed from Dinjapur’s Khansama upazila while the rest were from Cox’s Bazar’s Teknaf upazila. Chirirbandar police station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Abul Hasnat Khan confirmed the matter, saying that the accident happened around 7:30 am when the Rangpur-bound bus hit the two stationary rickshaw vans on Pakerhat Road in Ranirbandar Bazar area, leaving the four dead on the spot and five others injured. College student dies being crushed under moving train in Dinajpur The injured received first aid, he said. Though the BRTC bus was seized, its driver managed to flee, the OC added. Chamchatali Highway police station’s in-Charge Siddique Rahman said the bodies of the driver and the local were handed over to their families without autopsy upon their request. Motorcyclist dies in collision with private car on Hanif Flyover The other bodies were brought to the highway police station, he added. Upazila Nirbahi Officer Shariful Haque said each of the deceased's family was provided Tk 10,000 for performing funerals and Tk 5,000 was provided to each of the injured for treatment on behalf of the upazila administration.

A UN expert on Monday warned of the urgent need to put children’s rights at the heart of the development and regulation of the internet and new digital products. Ahead of Safer Internet Day, the UN Special Rapporteur on sale and sexual exploitation of children, Mama Fatima Singhateh, issued the following statement: “The internet and digital platforms can be a double-edged sword for children and young people. It can allow them to positively interact and further develop as autonomous human beings, claiming their own space. While also facilitate age-inappropriate content and online sexual harms of children by adults and peers. The boom in generative AI and eXtended Reality is constantly evolving and facilitating the harmful production and distribution of child sexual abuse and exploitation in the digital dimension, with new exploitative activities such as the deployment of end-to-end encryption without built-in safety mechanisms, computer-generated imagery (CGI) including deepfakes and deepnudes, and on-demand live streaming and eXtended Reality (XR) of child sexual abuse and exploitation material. Although access does not determine the value that children and young people derive from the Internet and digital products, the volume of reported child sexual abuse material has increased by 87% since 2019, according to WeProtect Global Alliance’s Global Threat Assessment 2023. A review of numerous studies, publications and reports has revealed the intensification of manifestations of harm and exposure of online child sexual abuse and exploitation, both in terms of scale and method. It includes the risk of child sexual abuse and exploitation material, grooming and soliciting children for sexual purposes, online sexual harassment, intimate image abuse, financial sexual extortion and the use of technology-assisted child sexual abuse and exploitation material. The private sector and the technology industry have proven to be less reliable than they claim to be, with serious ingrained biases, flaws in programming and surveillance software to detect child abuse, failure to crack down on child sexual abuse and exploitation networks, layoffs and cuts to community safety teams and workers. These practices and failings risk relentless repetition of trauma, secondary victimisation and systemic harm to individuals, including children. While it is commendable that there has been increased political commitment, prioritisation and engagement on the use of ICTs and new technologies at the international level. Many legislative and regulatory efforts at national, regional and international levels seeking to address these problems present additional human rights risks due to insufficient integration of human rights considerations, gender-responsive and child-sensitive approaches. Against this backdrop, States and companies must all work together and invest in solving this problem, and include children’s, victims’, survivors’ and relevant stakeholders’ voices in the design and development of ethical digital products to foster a safer online environment. This responsibility must be immediately embraced across society. I welcome the Secretary-General’s AI Advisory Body’s mandate to make recommendations for the establishment of an international agency for the governance and coordination of AI. Despite these positive initiatives, there is an urgent imperative to scale up efforts and connect through a core multilateral instrument dedicated exclusively to eradicating child sexual abuse and exploitation online, addressing the complexity of these phenomena and taking a step forward to protect children in the digital dimension. I stand ready to support States, international and regional mechanisms and other stakeholders in building a common framework and global alliance for safer and more accountable technology governance. It is now clear that greater and joint cooperation is needed to ensure a safer Internet for all children around the world. Commitments must go beyond paper.”  

Chairman of National Board of Revenue (NBR) Abu Hena Md Ramatul Muneem said that tax returns submission increased by 21 percent as people became aware of the need to pay tax. Besides, reporters of both print and electronic media play an important role in making people aware of paying taxes. The NBR Chairman said this while speaking at a pre-budget discussion session with the members of the Economic Reporters’ Forum (ERF), held at the conference hall of the NBR Building in Agargaon, Dhaka. NBR members and senior tax officials were present at the event. NBR’s pre-budget discussion to formulate budget for FY2024-25 begins Feb 4 ERF Member Doulat Akter Mala presented a 35-point budget recommendation on behalf of the ERF to the NBR. President of ERF Mohammad Refayet Ullah Mirdha, among others ERF members Md Anisul Islam, Ibrahim Hossain Ovi, and Riyad Hossain attended the pre-budget discussion. The ERF submitted 35 recommendations for the next budget including tax on essential commodities and education items reduced to 5 percent, VAT rate fixed at 7 percent, individual tax-free income limit extended to Tk 5.0 lakh, to introduce asset tax system, etc. In response, the NBR Chairman said that the revenue board is working on skilled development and simplifying the taxation system along with automation in all of the sectors. NBR seeks budget proposals from chambers and institutions by February 8 He said the online return submission increased and E-chalan and other online services are gaining popularity now.  

The Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Dhaka (MCCI), in partnership with Policy Exchange Bangladesh (PEB), with the support of the UK Government’s Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO), launched the Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) for Bangladesh at MCCI’s Gulshan office on Monday. Matt Cannell, Acting British High Commissioner and Development Director to Bangladesh, graced the event as the Guest of Honor. The event was moderated by Farooq Ahmed, Secretary-General and CEO, of MCCI. The PMI is a leading economic indicator that helps understand the economic health of a country. It provides insights into key economic sectors and captures early trends. The PMI data index is compiled from monthly surveys of private-sector enterprises. In his welcome remarks, MCCI President Kamran T. Rahman said that the PMI datasets had wide-ranging applications and could be used by various stakeholders. It has already been implemented in several nations. He believed the PMI could play a key role in sustaining Bangladesh’s development trajectory.  Dr. M Masrur Reaz, Chairman, PEB, said that MCCI, PEB, and FCDO had come together to make robust data available regularly throughout the year. As the PMI provided actionable and quantifiable insights about the economy, it was very useful for the stakeholders. He believed it would help make business and policy decisions. Hasnat Alam, Senior Manager, Market and Policy Advisory, at Policy Exchange Bangladesh, gave a brief presentation on the fundamentals and practicality of the PMI Program. During the open forum, the topics that came up for discussion included correlation between different variables used in the PMI surveys, data reliability, confidentiality, and interpretation challenges. The Guest of Honor Matt Cannell acknowledged that as Bangladesh undergoes LDC graduation, it must prepare for the forthcoming challenges that will arise. By leveraging real-time data and insights from the PMI, Bangladesh will be able to tackle future challenges effectively. Before concluding, he assured of the UK’s continued support to Bangladesh’s development pursuits. The launch event ended with a vote of thanks from MCCI. Representatives from MCCI members, the business community, think tanks, and the media attended the event, according to a press release.  

Eleven more members of Myanmar's Border Guard Police (BGP) have fled to Bangladesh amid clashes between the Myanmar military and the armed rebel group Arakan Army. With this, the number of BGP members who took shelter in Bangladesh stood at 106. Shariful Islam, public relations officer of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), said 106 BGP members have so far entered Bangladesh through Tumbru border in Naikhangchhari upazila of Bandarban district with arms and ammunition due to the ongoing clashes inside Myanmar. The BGB members disarmed them and took them to a safe shelter, he said. Earlier on Monday, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said 14 Myanmar Border Guard members were detained after they entered Bangladesh territory to take shelter and they will be sent back following diplomatic process. Shariful Islam said members of Myanmar's Border Guard Force (BGP) started taking shelter in Bangladesh from Sunday morning. The number of BGP members who fled till Sunday evening was 39, the number stood at 58 by 8 pm and another 38 arrived by 8 pm, he added. Besides, arrangements were made for the treatment of 15 injured BGP members on Sunday, he said. Conflict in Myanmar: 5 govt primary schools declared shut in Bandarban The Arakan Army is the well-trained and well-armed military wing of the Rakhine ethnic minority movement, which seeks autonomy from Myanmar’s central government. It is a member of the armed ethnic group alliance that recently gained strategic territory in Myanmar’s northeast. Along with the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army — operating together under the name of the Three Brotherhood Alliance — it launched a coordinated offensive on October 27, 2023 in northern Shan state along the border with China. PM for patience regarding war-like situation in Myanmar: Law Minister That offensive has posed the greatest battlefield challenge to Myanmar’s military rulers since the army seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021. The alliance says it has seized more than 250 military outposts, five official border crossings and a major city near the Chinese border, along with several important towns, according to an AP report. Rakhine is where a brutal army counterinsurgency operation in 2017 drove about 740,000 members of the Muslim Rohingya minority to seek safety across the border in Bangladesh. Rakhine is also known by its older name of Arakan.