FROM PAGE 4

The significance of these measures extends beyond tax relief.

For years, start-up founders complained that Bangladesh’s tax structure penalised young companies before they achieved profitability.

Turnover tax, in particular, required businesses to pay taxes on revenue regardless of whether they were making money.

Removing that burden could improve survival rates among early-stage companies, allowing founders to invest scarce resources into product development, talent acquisition and expansion.

The government appears to be making a broader strategic calculation as well.

Artificial intelligence is rapidly redrawing the global technology landscape. Countries such as India and Vietnam have aggressively positioned themselves to attract technology investments, AI research and digital service exports.

Bangladesh now appears determined to join that competition.

At the centre of this policy shift is Rehan Asad, the prime minister’s adviser on ICT and telecommunications, who left a C-suite position at a US technology giant to join the government.

According to officials familiar with the process, much of the past month was spent in intensive negotiations between the ICT division, the National Board of Revenue and the finance ministry to craft a package capable of fundamentally changing the country’s digital competitiveness.

“Our goal is simple. For citizens, we want connectivity that is affordable, reliable and world-class. For telecom operators and investors, we want predictable, globally competitive tax policies. For start-ups, technology companies and manufacturers, we want to remove every major regulatory and financial barrier.”

Bangladesh must become one of the world’s leading destinations for digital innovation, technology manufacturing and AI investment, Rehan told The Daily Star.

Whether Bangladesh can translate that vision into reality will depend on execution. But the message sent by this budget is clear: the country intends to compete for a place among the leading digital economies of Asia.