US businesses won't invest in Bangladesh unless there's a stable tax policy: Salman F Rahman

Businessmen from the United States are only willing to invest in Bangladeshi companies if there is a stable tax environment, Prime Minister's Private Industry and Investment Adviser Salman F Rahman said today (27 May).

"They [US] expressed willingness to invest significantly in [Bangladeshi companies] but they emphasised that any company investing here would want assurance of a stable tax environment for the next 5-10 years," Salman said after a meeting with an executive business delegation of the US-Bangladesh Business Council at the city's Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) Bhaban.

He also said many foreign companies are showing interest in using Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology in the agricultural sector and want to invest in the country. 

Salman F Rahman added that Meta plans to work with AI in Bangladesh and is interested to invest in this sector. 

Moreover, Amazon is already operating in Bangladesh and now seeks to expand its activities to include import and export, he said.

Asked about the response from a Boeing representative, Salman said, "Boeing wants Biman to verify the financial offer they have made. The decision regarding purchase will be made later."

Mentioning that the banking sector needs reformation, he said discussions are ongoing regarding potential solutions to overcome the country's liquidity crisis.

He also stressed on strengthening the country's capital market to ensure finance for investors.

President of the US-Bangladesh Business Council Atul Keshap led the meeting of the 30-member delegation.