Dhaka, Jan. 28 -- Speakers at a roundtable on Monday emphasised the need for integrated and holistic reforms at the National Board of Revenue (NBR), with a particular focus on digitisation, consistency in tax rates, and enhancing direct taxation.

They also stressed the importance of separating policy formulation from tax collection to create a more business-friendly environment.

The experts highlighted that while Bangladesh's nominal tax rates may seem low, the effective tax burden is disproportionately high, often reaching up to 45 per cent and, in some instances, exceeding 80 per cent.

They came up with the observations and recommendations at the roundtable, hosted by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Bangladesh (ICAB) and th...