Govt cancels marriage registration tax

The tax imposed on marriage registration has been cancelled, Law Affairs Adviser Asif Nazrul said today (21 January).

"Tax was imposed on marriage registration. The ministry has cancelled this illogical tax," he said at a press conference on current affairs at the Secretariat on Tuesday.

Responding to a question of when the decision would take effect, the adviser said, "I have signed a document in this regard  today. You can get married without tax."

"The marriage registration form used to mention 'married' or 'virgin'. This is a disrespectful word for a girl. We have replaced that word with unmarried," he added.

The adviser said they have done many such small things. "I have plans to do many more things."

Document authentication process goes online

Aiming to mitigate public sufferings, the government has authenticated 36 types of documents, said Asif.

"I have heard that there used to be long lines in front of the Ministry of Law for document authentication. Under the current system, the process can now be completed from home within a day or two," he said.

People do not need to stand in long queues for manual authentication, he said.

This authentication process has been made online since 13 December.

Under this system, Bangladeshi citizens no longer need to pay a service fee at foreign embassies after authentication, saving Tk500-700 crore annually.

Referring to reforms in various areas, the adviser mentioned, "We have identified more areas within the Code of Criminal Procedure for improvement. So far, we have pinpointed 15 to 20 areas. We hope to carry out all necessary legal reforms within the next six months and our goal is to complete all expected reforms," said the adviser.

The government has formed a judicial reform commission. "With their assistance, we are trying to carry out these tasks to ensure proper coordination," he added.