Customs valuation for the purpose of trade taxation remains a perennial problem, causes clearance delays, and is the “biggest” source of disputes and malfeasance at the ports. The current arbitrary customs valuation practice in Bangladesh must be terminated as soon as possible and move

Bangladesh was not alone in reaching a trade agreement with the United States (US) under what can only be described as asymmetrical reciprocity. The governing principle of the US-Bangladesh Reciprocal Trade Agreement is clear: access to the world's largest single-country market is a privilege-earne

Finally, the wait is over. The Office of US Trade Representative (USTR) -- actually President Donald Trump -- announced what tariffs will apply to which country as their goods enter the US market. A new world trade order has emerged. Trading according to comparative advantage of nations will no lon

Seven years have passed since my best friend, Moazzem Hossain, left this mortal world leaving me and many others sorely deprived of his sharp intellect and intimate friendship. On the first anniversary of his demise I wrote in this newspaper, to which he had devoted his entire journalistic career,

Those of us who were waiting with bated breath to see some transformational changes to be launched in the FY2026 Budget were left wondering about the emerging message. In the trade policy sphere, there is some movement in the right direction except that it is so meager as to be largely inconsequent

Our hope is that the forthcoming FY2026 Budget could be a crucial reform budget that could change the direction of the economy, like the budget of FY1992 did. Addressing the economy’s persistent and deep-rooted protectionism will have to be one of the key policy priorities in order to meet th

For the world economy 02 April 2025, dubbed by the US Government as "Liberation Day" for the American economy, will be carved in history books as a watershed moment. The newly crafted "reciprocal tariffs" announced on that date take effect momentarily, from 09 April, 2025 without much respite. From

Bangladesh is a beneficiary of globalisation. As a participant in the rules-based-trade order (World Trade Organization or WTO), Bangladesh made remarkable use of its Least Developed Country (LDC) status (with Special and Differential Treatment) to eventually become the second biggest exporter of a