The hidden tax on Bangladesh’s diaspora
For a worker bound abroad, the all-in cost runs into several thousand dollars, and most of this is borrowed, often at usurious rates. The worker spends the first six to 12 months…
Inflation
Motorists in Indonesia switch fuels, queue longer amid fuel price hike
Motorists’ massive shift from nonsubsidised to subsidised fuels is inevitable after the recent significant price hike.
Why inflation in Bangladesh remains stubborn despite tighter monetary policy
Recently, the central bank attributed persistently high inflation to a combination of factors – the Russia-Ukraine war and conflicts in the Middle East, a more than 40 percent…
Weak transparency threatens Indonesia’s economic ambitions: Watchdogs
Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) researcher said President Prabowo Subianto’s administration had become “increasingly opaque” with government processes appearing “designed…
Tax on grocery shops to match taxpayers’ capacity: Bangladesh planning minister
State Minister for Planning Zonayed Abdur Rahim Saki assures parliament that the expanded tax net will initially use a logical flat-rate system.
Will Japanese government push through tax cut without considering concerns?: The Yomiuri Shimbun
The Yomiuri Shimbun's editorial team highlights that if Japan's consumption tax cut is implemented, it would be the first such reduction since the policy was first introduced in…
Lower-income seniors can get milk, eggs, under Singapore’s expanded fresh protein initiative
Singapore's FairPrice's Protein Pledge was launched in 2025 to distribute nearly USD800,000 worth of fresh protein to vulnerable communities by 2030. It began with distributing…
Vietnam ministry proposes extending fuel tax cuts
The proposal would also maintain existing reductions in environmental protection tax and value-added tax (VAT) on gasoline and aviation fuel that were introduced under earlier…
Petrol, diesel prices ease in Singapore as oil prices fall
Following the latest price cuts, 95-octane petrol now costs $3.42 a litre across Caltex, Esso, Shell, Sinopec and SPC, according to the Consumers Association of Singapore’s…
Most Japanese people support lowering tax on food to effectively zero: Yomiuri poll
According to Japanese law, revenue from the existing consumption tax must be channelled towards social security. However, the strain of inflation on Japanese households has led to…