Dhaka, June 14 -- The government has proposed doubling the withholding tax on "creative media" services, even as it speaks of promoting a creative economy and supporting young entrepreneurs.

The proposal comes as the new BNP government, after 19 years of returning to budget formulation, outlines measures it says are aimed at developing a creative economy while also expanding the tax base.

For the FY2026-27 budget proposed by Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, the National Board of Revenue (NBR) has set a revenue collection target of about Tk 6.05 trillion and said expanding the tax base will be key to achieving it.

As part of this effort, the NBR has increased withholding tax rates on creative media services.

A new rule ha...