Govt forms 22-member taskforce to cut red tape, ease doing business

The government has formed a 22-member high-level taskforce to overhaul regulatory and administrative procedures that create hurdles for businesses and investors, with a focus on simplifying approvals, licences and other government services.

Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury will head the National Taskforce on Deregulation and Business Facilitation, which includes relevant ministers, the prime minister's adviser on the Ministry of Finance, senior government officials and representatives of major business organisations.

The Cabinet Division issued a gazette notification forming the taskforce yesterday (9 August).

The taskforce will develop and oversee implementation of a reform roadmap for deregulation and business facilitation. It will review existing rules, regulations and procedures related to business and investment and identify unnecessary regulatory hurdles that can be removed or simplified.

It will also examine ways to introduce more efficient and investor-friendly systems and provide policy direction for simplifying procedures related to licences, approvals, clearances, taxes, customs, banking, capital markets, construction, environmental services and local government services.

The taskforce will provide policy guidance on introducing a Single Window, Service Level Agreements, deemed or automatic approvals and online tracking, among other digital services, to make government services faster and more predictable for businesses.

It will also work to resolve coordination problems among ministries and agencies and identify laws, rules, policies, circulars and administrative orders that need to be amended to facilitate business operations, investment and economic activities.

According to the gazette, the taskforce will work with the Invest Bangladesh Authority on a dedicated website and a grievance redress mechanism to monitor complaints, irregularities and delays faced by businesses and service users.

Implementation progress will be reviewed quarterly, and the taskforce will submit recommendations and undertake follow-up measures in line with the terms of reference set out in the gazette.

The taskforce includes the environment, industries and law ministers, as well as the prime minister's adviser on the Ministry of Finance and a member of the ICT taskforce.

Other members include the cabinet secretary, Bangladesh Bank governor, finance secretary, shipping secretary, National Board of Revenue chairman, Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission chairman and Registrar of Joint Stock Companies and Firms.

The presidents of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Foreign Investors' Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association and Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association are also members.

The taskforce takes effect immediately and may co-opt additional members when necessary.

The initiative is part of the government's broader deregulation programme aimed at reducing unnecessary government procedures and delays in business and investment.

In the budget speech for fiscal 2026-27, the finance minister said deregulation would remove delays and unnecessary steps in government services and make them easier, faster, more transparent and more reliable for investors.

The government also announced plans to make online single-window services mandatory for approvals and licensing, complete the process from application to licence issuance within a maximum of seven days, and automate tax, customs and VAT systems.

27-member creative economy steering committee

The government has also formed a 27-member National Steering Committee on Creative Economy, headed by Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury.

The committee includes representatives from the ministries of culture, industries, commerce, housing, planning, information and communication technology, tourism, women and children affairs, youth and sports, and information and broadcasting.

Representatives from the private sector and creative industries have also been included, including the Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation, BRAC, HSBC Bangladesh, Bengal Foundation and Shanto-Mariam University of Creative Technology, as well as representatives from the fashion design and modelling sectors and other experts.

An additional secretary of the Finance Division will serve as the member-secretary.

The steering committee will approve sector-specific roadmaps for the creative economy, review their implementation, coordinate among relevant ministries and organisations, and provide policy direction.

It will also review the work of various sector-specific committees and assess implementation progress on a quarterly basis.