Govt forms taskforce to strengthen tax system, mobilise domestic resources

The government has formed a high-powered taskforce to identify ways to boost domestic resource mobilisation and strengthen the country's tax system in line with development and fiscal sustainability goals.

The Internal Resources Division (IRD) of the finance ministry issued a notification on Sunday.

The nine-member taskforce will formulate recommendations to reform and reorganise the tax structure to raise the tax-to-GDP ratio, and propose short- and long-term measures to support economic growth and trade, it said.

The taskforce will be chaired by Zaidi Sattar, chairman of the Policy Research Institute (PRI) of Bangladesh.

Other members include Sultan Hafeez Rahman, professorial fellow at the BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD); Syed M Ahsan, professor emeritus of economics at Concordia University; Mohammad Zahid Hossain, chairman of Bangladesh Krishi Bank; and Sajjad Zohir, executive director of the Economic Research Group (ERG).

Representatives from key institutions such as the FBCCI, ICAB, and ICMAB will also serve as members. Mahbubur Rahman Patwary, joint secretary of the IRD, will act as the member secretary of the taskforce.

The taskforce has been instructed to submit its final report to the finance adviser by January 31, 2026.

The task force may co-opt members if needed and its tenure will be expired through its final report submission.