Draft law cleared to bolster EC’s power

Staff Reporter :

The Advisory Council on Thursday approved proposals to amend the Election Commission Secretariat Act, 2009 and the Election Officers (Special Provisions) Act, 1991 to strengthen efforts for free, fair, and impartial elections.

The Council also endorsed several revenue-related law amendments under the National Board of Revenue (NBR).

The approvals came at a meeting of the Advisory Council, held at the Chief Adviser’s Office (CAO) in Tejgaon, with Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus presiding.

After the meeting, Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam briefed reporters at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka this afternoon.

“The Advisory Council on Thursday approved proposals to amend two Election Commission-related laws – the Election Officers
(Special Provisions) Act, 1991 (Act No. 13 of 1991) and the Election Commission Secretariat Act, 2009 (Act No. 5 of 2009),” he said.

He added that the amendments will make the Election Commission’s functions more dynamic while ensuring accountability of officials involved in election management.

“In particular, the provisions for punishment in cases of negligence of duty during elections have been made clearer,” he noted.

According to the press secretary, significant changes have been made to sections 2, 5, and 6 of the Election Officers (Special Provisions) Act, 1991.

These include redefining the term “election officer,” updating disciplinary provisions, and adding new subsections.

Meanwhile, the Advisory Council also granted final approval, in principle, to the draft of the Financial Laws (Second Amendment) Ordinance, 2025, prepared under the NBR.

Under this ordinance, the Value Added Tax (VAT) and Supplementary Duty Act, 2012 has been revised to allow VAT exemptions in specific cases through special orders.

Additionally, the Income Tax Act, 2023 has been amended to increase the withholding tax on investments in government or approved securities by corporate taxpayers from 10 percent to 15 percent.

A new provision has also been introduced to treat tax collection from commercially operated buses and transport businesses as final taxable income, the press secretary said.

On other matters, Shafiqul Alam said the meeting discussed reform activities in detail. The Council reviewed progress on 77 key reform proposals out of 121 adopted earlier – of which 24 have already been implemented, 14 partially implemented, and the remainder are in progress.

At the meeting, the Chief Adviser directed all ministries and divisions to prepare and submit lists of reforms they have completed independently, alongside those recommended by the Reform Commission.

He expressed hope that these progress reports would be submitted to the Cabinet Division by the beginning of next month.

The Cabinet Division will then compile and publish the information as a booklet for public dissemination, the press secretary said.