Only registered GST businesses can charge GST

The Goods and Services Tax (GST) should prevent retailers from facing a cascading price effect by allowing them to claim credit for taxes paid at earlier stages of the supply chain, according to officials.

GST hits farmers as feed and fertiliser costs ripple across food chain

The impact of Goods and Services Tax (GST) is being felt most immediately and viscerally in the agriculture and livestoc...

Where five percent hurts most

Prices in most shops have jumped five percent overnight. In Changzamtog, a couple sits at their tiny wooden table, counting what little money they have left. The husband, the sole breadwinner, earns Nu 17,0...

How excise tax reshapes prices of sin goods

The new excise tax (ET) framework, effective from January 1, has led to price increases for alcohol, tobacco, carbonated...

New income tax law widens relief for families and households

The government has introduced a range of tax relief measures for individuals under a new income tax framework rolled out...

GST drives shoppers across the border in Phuentsholing

No timeline yet for GST refunds to tourists leaving Bhutan

The government is yet to announce when the Goods and Services Tax (GST) refund mechanism for tourists and short-term vis...

Consumers foot the bill as double taxation bites during GST transition

Consumers are facing short-term price increases as the country transitions to the Goods and Services Tax (GST) system, w...

Second Bhutan International ESG Alliance forum kicks off

Police refute allegations of torture claims in custodial death of Biren Kafley with CCTV footage evidence

New FDI regime offers wider access to foreign investors in agriculture

The agriculture and livestock sector is seeing an increased investor interest following major reforms in foreign direct investment (FDI) policy that liberalised ownership rules and eased approvals.

BCCI submits 35 business ideas to govt. for private sector engagement

The Bhutan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) has submitted 35 business proposals from 12 sector associations to th...

Bhutan attracts major impact finance commitments at SDG forum

During the two-day Bhutan SDG Impact Finance Forum held last week in Thimphu, international and high-level participants...

Businesses propose action oriented public-private forum to address private sector woes

The Bhutan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) has proposed the government to re-establish the high-level Private Se...

Taxes our forefathers paid

Gym that asks you to grow, not just train

Happiness with Mr Bhutan

Happiness can be described in countless ways, yet it is always experienced as one. Even if we fail to put it into words, we still recognise it. Sometimes, only when old words fade from the ton...

Happiness with Mr Bhutan

Happiness can be described in countless ways, yet it is always experienced as one. Even if we fail to put it into words, we still recognise it. Sometimes, only when old words fade from the ton...

GST transition pains need urgent fixes

Making GST work past early hiccups

The introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) is a major fiscal reform in recent years. These new reforms are part of a broader effort to modernise the country’s tax system to make taxation fairer, more efficient, a...

The cost of delay

A new chapter for Kuensel

Two decades ago, in February 2005, Kuensel increased its publication frequency to twice a week. This move was a direct response to our readers’ growing needs and a conscious preparation for the n...

Strengthening the third sector

Over the years, the civil society sector has quietly assumed a critical role in bridging policy and people. Often referred to as the third sector, CSOs have emerged as indispensable partners in Bhutan’s pursuit...

Why selective privatisation in healthcare makes sense

The debate on private sector participation in healthcare has reached an unhelpful impasse. This is mainly because it is...

Agencies must be held accountable for financial irregularities

The Royal Audit Authority’s (RAA) latest annual report is disturbing, to say the least. Financial irregularities reached...

What about moral and ethical accountability?

The Anti-Corruption Commission’s (ACC) investigation into the Economic Stimulus Programme (ESP) loan was meant to settle...

Citizens building a nation’s future

The fourth round of the Gelephu Mindfulness City volunteer programme, which drew a record 10,000 participants, pushing total participation beyond 22,500, must be celebrated as a national moment. The overwhelming number of volunteer...

The promise of Bhutan-Thailand Free Trade Agreement

The parliamentary endorsement of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Thailand marks a watershed moment in Bhutan’s econo...