On April 16, 2019, the Institute of Cost and Management Accountants of Bangladesh (ICMAB) arranged a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Program on “Aligning tax policy – A Case study on Bangladesh” at ICMAB Ruhul Quddus Auditorium, Dhaka.
At the high-level event, Femke Groothuis of The Ex’tax Project presented the paper Tax as a force for good, which was published with ACCA (The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) in December 2018. The discussion paper explores the need to align tax systems with the Sustainable Development Goals and the inclusive circular economy.
With the support of C&A Foundation, The Ex’tax Project is currently studying opportunities to align tax systems in low- and middle-income countries with the inclusive circular economy. Since Bangladesh is the first case study, Femke also presented the first preliminary results of the study.
The following speakers and distinguished guests were included in the program:
– Chief Guest: Mr. Kanon Kumar Roy, Member (Tax Policy), National Board of Revenue (NBR).
– Chairman: Mr. M. Abul Kalam Mazumdar FCMA, President of ICMAB.
– Keynote Speaker: Ms. Femke Groothuis, Founder and President of The Ex’tax Project, The Netherlands.
– Discussants: Mr. Md. Abdur Rahman Khan FCMA, Deputy Secretary, Finance Division Ministry of Finance, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, Advocate Maruf Hasan ACCA, Member, Dhaka Taxes Bar Association and Mr. Peter Gersen, Vice-President, The Ex’tax Project, The Netherlands.
– Moderator: Mr. Arif Khan FCMA, CEO & Managing Director, IDLC Finance Limited.
– Mr. Md. Kausar Alam FCMA, Vice-Chairman, Seminar & Conference Committee, ICMAB offered vote of thanks in the program.
170 finance professional were in the audience. The keynote speach was discussed and the Q&A session included questions on timing of implementation of a carbon tax, the need to increase tax revenues in Bangladesh, and the need to strike a balance between development and sustainability issues.
