Advisory Council okays revisions to two Election Commission laws

Council meeting also approves finance amendment raising VAT on treasury bonds

The Advisory Council has passed amended ordinances of two laws related to the Election Commission (EC).

The decisions came at a council meeting presided over by Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus at his office on Thursday. A separate amendment to a finance-related ordinance was also passed in the session.

At a press briefing in the afternoon at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka, Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam presented the agenda of the meeting.

He said, “The proposal to amend the Election Officer (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, has been passed in the Advisory Council. The amended ordinance of the Election Commission Secretariat Act, 2009, has also been approved.

According to the press aide, these changes will speed up the commission’s preparations ahead of the national election by allowing it to take swift action.

Accountability measures have been introduced to ensure election officials are held responsible for negligence -- a provision that was previously unclear, he said.

On the finance front, Shafiqul said the draft of several financial laws (second amendment) ordinance, 2025, prepared under the NBR, has received in-principle and final approval.

The changes include adjustments to VAT and income tax, notably an increase in VAT on institutional treasury bonds.

The council also reviewed ongoing reforms. Shafiqul said out of 121 reform initiatives identified in the first phase, 24 have been fully implemented, 14 partially, with the remainder under way.

He added that all ministries have been instructed to list reforms implemented beyond the reform commission’s recommendations.

“In fact, most ministries have made more reforms than those suggested,” Shafiqul said.

The government plans to publish a booklet showcasing these additional reforms.