Nobel laureate María Corina Machado returns to Venezuela after months in exile

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman arrived at Narita International Airport in Tokyo on Monday morning, beginning a four-day state visit to Japan at the invitation of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

The Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight carrying the prime minister and his wife, Dr Zubaida Rahman, landed at 9:05am local time, according to the Prime Minister's Office. It had left Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at 12:10am Bangladesh time.

Japanese State Minister for Foreign Affairs Yasutaka Nakasone received Rahman at the airport. The prime minister's adviser on posts, telecommunications and information technology, Rehan Asif Asad, and his special assistant for overseas employment in the Asia-Pacific region, Shakirul Islam Khan, were also present, along with senior officials of the Bangladesh embassy in Tokyo.

Rahman was then taken to the Imperial Hotel, where he will stay during the visit, in a ceremonial motorcade. Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed, BNP acting Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni and Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Ghani saw him off at Dhaka airport.

The centrepiece of the visit is a formal meeting with Takaichi on Tuesday morning. A joint declaration is due afterwards, followed by a luncheon hosted by the Japanese prime minister for Rahman and his delegation.

The delegation reflects the economic focus of the trip. It includes Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, Finance and Planning Adviser Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir, State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Aninda Islam Amit, Bangladesh Bank Governor Md Mostaqur Rahman and Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam.

Japan is one of Bangladesh's most important development and trading partners, and the two governments signed an Economic Partnership Agreement in February. Officials say the Tokyo talks will focus on putting that agreement into practice and widening access for Bangladeshi goods to the Japanese market.

The agenda also covers renewable energy, agriculture, science and technology, digital transformation, skills development and human resources. Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam said at a briefing in Dhaka on 20 October that about eight memoranda of understanding were under discussion and that three or four could be signed during the visit.

Those draft documents cover agriculture, fisheries, human resource development, skills, civil aviation, trade, environmental conservation and local government modernisation. Separate agreements in education and human resource development are also being pursued.

Dhaka wants Japanese support for setting up factories in Bangladesh, creating jobs and training workers. The two sides are expected to discuss the Rohingya crisis, regional peace and stability, the energy crunch and ways to attract more Japanese investment.

Rahman will also speak at the Bangladesh-Japan Economic Forum and meet Japanese business leaders, development institutions and officials. His programme includes meetings with the Japan-Bangladesh Parliamentary Friendship League, the Japan International Cooperation Agency, the Japan Bank for International Cooperation and the Japan External Trade Organisation.

What remains unknown is the size and timing of any new investment package. The government has not published a list of agreements that will definitely be signed, and the joint declaration has not been released. The visit's practical value will depend on whether the talks produce firm contracts, financing commitments and a clear plan for implementing the trade agreement.

The prime minister is also due to visit industrial and energy facilities before returning to Dhaka. For Bangladesh, the immediate tests are whether Tokyo offers new money for infrastructure and clean energy, whether Japanese firms commit to moving production to Bangladesh, and whether the two governments set a workable timetable for the agreements announced at the end of the visit.

About 7.5 million people who hold a taxpayer identification number in Bangladesh do not file an income tax return in a given year, according to figures published by Prothom Alo on Monday. The country has roughly 12.5 million TIN holders, and about 5 million of them file returns annually.

The newspaper, citing National Board of Revenue officials, said many people with taxable income are among those who stay away. Holding a TIN does not by itself make a return compulsory; the obligation depends on income and on the person's role. But officials believe a large number of people who should file are not doing so.

Under Section 166 of the Income Tax Act 2023, a return is required when a person's income exceeds the tax-free limit for the year, or when tax has been assessed on them in any of the previous three years. Company owners, partners, directors, managers and shareholders, public servants, and non-residents with a permanent establishment in Bangladesh must also file.

The penalties are set out in the same law. Section 266 allows a penalty of 10 percent of the last assessed tax, with a minimum of Tk 1,000. A continuing default can add Tk 50 for every day it lasts, and failing to supply information during an investigation can draw a separate penalty of up to Tk 50,000.

Section 174 adds a second cost. Tax that should have been paid is charged an extra 2 percent for every month of delay, counted in whole months and capped at 24 months. Late filers also lose the investment tax rebate, which can be claimed on savings certificates and other approved investments.

The most visible power is the disconnection of utilities. Tax officials can order gas, electricity and water connections cut when a return is not filed on time, according to the current income tax guidance. The power is not limited to homes: factories and other businesses that fail to file can also lose their connections.

Salaries can be affected too. First-class government officers and middle-level private-sector employees whose pay falls within the prescribed limit are required to file. If they do not, their office can hold back salary or allowances until a copy of the return is produced.

The filing calendar has changed this year. Returns can be submitted at any point in the year, rather than only around a single deadline. Filers who submitted between July and September qualified for a rebate, those who file between October and December pay the tax due without a penalty, and returns filed from January onwards attract the extra tax and fines.

What remains unclear is how many of the 7.5 million non-filers actually have taxable income. The NBR has not published a breakdown, and the newspaper's figure covers people who hold a TIN, not all adults. It is also not known whether the board will launch a special enforcement drive this year, or how often it has used the utility-disconnection power in practice.

The immediate step for a taxpayer is to check whether a return is due and to file it before January, when the penalty clock starts. Returns are submitted through the NBR's e-Return system, and the acknowledgement receipt should be kept.

The NBR has not announced a fresh deadline or a new amnesty for non-filers. For now, the law's message is simple: a TIN is not a formality, and the cost of ignoring it can arrive as a fine, a bigger tax bill or a knock at the meter.