The corporate tax rate will not be reduced in the upcoming 2025–26 budget, National Board of Revenue (NBR) Chairman Md Abdur Rahman Khan announced on Sunday (13 April).
"The national debt burden has increased over the past 50 years, and those debts must be repaid," he said at a pre-budget discussion organised by the Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) at InterContinental Dhaka.
"Therefore, there is no scope to reduce taxes in the corporate sector or other areas," he added.
"Rather, we want a non-discriminatory tax regime for all sectors."
Top business leaders attended the event, which was presided over by DCCI President Taskeen Ahmed.
During the session, the NBR chairman acknowledged that efforts to automate tax administration had previously stalled, but insisted the time for digital transformation had now arrived.
"The NBR is working towards implementing automation. Businesses also agree that automation is essential," he said.
"We are moving in that direction and have undertaken a large project focused on automation."
"In recent months, we have prioritised automation. For example, we have made income submission mandatory in many areas. From the next fiscal year, it will be fully compulsory, as paper returns will no longer be accepted," he noted.
NBR chief also announced that corporate tax returns, which are currently not accepted online, will be filed digitally from the next fiscal year.
"We are also working to integrate these services into a mobile app," he said.
At the meeting, the DCCI proposed raising the income tax exemption threshold from Tk3.5 lakh to Tk5 lakh.
It also urged the government to reduce the highest income tax rate from 30% to 25% for top earners.
