Readymade garment manufacturers in Bangladesh have to pay a higher corporate tax. The tax rate has been raised from 12 to 15 per cent. However, certified green factory owners will enjoy a three per cent rebate and pay 12 per cent, while publicly traded readymade garment manufacturers will have to pay 12.5 per cent. At present a certified green factory pays ten per cent tax, which will be increased to 12 per cent.

The RMG industry in Bangladesh plays an important role in generating employment and fostering economic growth. In the budget the 100 per cent export-oriented textile industry gets duty exemptions on raw material imports. Exemption of import duty is proposed for textile raw materials such as flax fiber and flax tow.

Efforts are on to ensure congenial working environment in the readymade garment industry. Safety evaluation work has been completed in 3,780 factories. In addition, a public accessibility database has been prepared, containing information on 3,743 export-oriented readymade garment factories. Also creating a database with information on another 27,000 factories is under way.

About 65 Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-certified factories have been operating in Bangladesh. Among these, 13 have received platinum status, 20 gold status and 34 silver status.