B Mirror Report: The stock brokers’ association of the capital market, the DSE Brokers Association of Bangladesh (DBA), has put forward a set of proposals centered on the upcoming 2026–27 fiscal year budget. This information was revealed in a press release signed by the association’s President, Saiful Islam, on Wednesday (April 1).

The proposals include:

1. The tax deducted at source on cash dividends for all individual investors should be treated as a final tax liability.
2. According to the Income Tax Act, 2023, a 15% tax rate applies only to capital gains earned from transactions of listed company securities. However, regular tax rates are being imposed on mutual funds (open/closed-end), government securities, and other securities. As a result, investment in these important sectors is being discouraged. This should be stopped.
3. The TDS (Tax Deducted at Source) on turnover should not be considered as a minimum tax; instead, it should be treated as an advance tax, allowing adjustment with the actual tax liability in the annual income tax return.
4. In the case of equity minus accounts, full tax exemption is recommended on the following incomes:
   • Interest waiver income
   • Cash dividend income
   • Capital gains earned against negative equity codes
   • The existing limit of BDT 1 million (10 lakh) should be completely withdrawn
5. Cancellation of tax benefits for inactive listed companies:
   • Companies that have not held an AGM in the last 3 years
   • Companies that have not declared dividends in the last 3 years
     their tax rate should be made equal to that of non-listed companies.