Nasiruddin Ahmed

The special tax treatment was given in different regimes since independence. An undisclosed income of about Tk 30,824 crore was disclosed so far, and an amount of about Tk 3,900 crore was collected as tax.

The tax system of a country has two key elements: tax policy and tax administration. The political economy analysis is vital to understand the factors responsible for facilitating and hindering tax reforms in tax policy and administration in a country and taking reform measures.

In the Addis Ababa Action Agenda 2015, which aims to provide a global framework for financing the Sustainable Development Goals, countries committed to enhancing revenue administration through modernised, progressive tax systems, improved tax policy, and more efficient tax collection.

Tobacco is a leading cause of death, disease and disability around the world with more than eight million deaths attributed to its use every year.

Tobacco kills more than 8 million people globally every year, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The budget for fiscal 2020-21 has proposed to impose 50 per cent penalty on misdeclaration of exports, imports and investment in foreign countries. This seems to be a sound proposal from the revenue point of view.

Mobilising sufficient financing for implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is a major challenge on its own, but the global coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated it.

Bangladesh is one of the largest tobacco consumers in the world with 37.8 million adults aged 15 years and above -- who are about 35.3 per cent of the country’s population -- consuming tobacco products, according to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) 2017.