FROM PAGE B1

Sattar also pointed to what he described as a strong “anti-export bias” in trade policy. While export subsidies average around 7 percent, nominal protection rates stand at about 28 percent, allowing domestic industries to benefit more from tariff barriers than export incentives.

Rasheda K Choudhury, former adviser to the interim government, said policy discussions in Bangladesh largely revolve around businesses, tariffs and investment, while consumers remain “at the bottom” with little attention paid to their hardships.

She urged policymakers to strike a better balance between industrial protection and consumer welfare.

Echoing concerns over policy inconsistency, Taskeen Ahmed, president of Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI), said protectionist policies and an overcentralised tax regime are holding back industrial growth and trade competitiveness.

He said businesses must also acknowledge their own shortcomings, but argued that many of the sector’s problems stem from conflicting government policies and excessive dependence on the NBR.

Former NBR member Md Farid Uddin questioned the overlapping responsibilities among agencies such as the Industries Ministry, Bida, Beza, Hi-Tech Park Authority and BSCIC.

Adding to the discussion, economist M Masrur Reaz said Bangladesh’s tax and tariff policies are designed primarily to raise revenue rather than support investment and expansion, discouraging foreign investment and weakening local industries’ competitiveness.