Amid the Middle East war situation and looming energy crisis, ready-made garment exporters say buyers in key markets are turning away from Bangladesh and shifting orders to India and other countries.
Bangladesh Chamber of Industries (BCI) President Anwar‑ul Alam Chowdhury (Parvez) shared the information, noting that concerns over fuel supplies are already affecting export confidence.
He was speaking during a pre-budget discussion for the 2026-27 fiscal year at the National Board of Revenue (NBR) in Agargaon on Wednesday.
He also shared the experience of hearing buyers say, “In your country, you won’t even have electricity in two or three months.”
He further elaborated on the shift in orders, quoting buyers who said, “We are being told ‘no’ from top management and this has started going to India.”
The BCI president said, “Several large buyer houses have started shifting orders elsewhere. And we are now seeing that July-August orders have stopped. Those that were supposed to come have become very slow. Discussions are being held with great difficulty to secure orders.”
Considering these challenges, he proposed reducing the source tax on export earnings from 1 percent to 0.5 percent.
He added, “I spoke about the reality because in the future this sector will decline even more, and for this reason, we probably need to address it.”
He also pointed out that despite businesses suffering losses, a minimum turnover tax of 1 percent is being levied, which he described as a “burden for the organisation”. He further advised the government to increase the tax-to-GDP ratio.
During the presentation, Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) proposed increasing the tax-free income limit for individuals to Tk5 lakh.
Moreover, Gazipur Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry proposed reducing the tax rate for non-listed companies from 27.5 percent to 25 percent. NBR chairman and other senior officials also attended the session.
