Expanding the direct tax base, boosting domestic consumption, and enhancing compliance are crucial to attracting foreign investment and strengthening Bangladesh’s fiscal position, business leaders have said.

The views were shared at a seminar on the macroeconomic outlook and the Finance Ordinance 2025, organised by MABS & J Partners in Dhaka on Monday. Economists, policymakers, and industry representatives attended the event, according to a press release.

Speakers emphasised transparency in revenue collection and rationalising tax exemptions. They welcomed recent policy steps, including contractionary monetary measures to curb inflation, tighter rules on non-performing loans, alignment with international standards, and the creation of a task force for banking sector reform.

Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Kamran T Rahman described the Finance Ordinance 2025 as a critical element of the budget. “We are facing persistent inflationary pressure, sluggish private investment, and the challenge of LDC graduation,” he said. “In this context, the government has tried to strike a balance between fiscal prudence and economic growth.”

Presenting the keynote, Md Shahadat Hossain, senior partner at MABS & J Partners, stated that foreign exchange reserves stood at $25.9 billion, with projections suggesting that gross reserves could surpass $30 billion by mid-2025, supported by remittance inflows and slower imports.

The seminar called for structural reforms to ensure fiscal discipline while creating a more investment-friendly environment.