Parliament passes Invest Bangladesh Bill despite opposition objections
He argued that although the Cabinet approved the bill on 9 July, MPs were not provided with the mandatory documents within the stipulated notice period.
Parliament today (15 July) passed the Invest Bangladesh Bill, 2026, despite objections from opposition lawmakers, paving the way for the formation of the Invest Bangladesh Authority by abolishing the existing Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (Bida), Bangladesh Public-Private Partnership Authority (PPP Authority) and Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (Beza).
The government said the unified authority would streamline investment services, improve coordination, attract domestic and foreign investment, create jobs and enhance the country's overall investment climate.
On behalf of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, Home Affairs Adviser Salahuddin Ahmed moved the bill for immediate consideration.
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Opposition MPs objected to the government's decision to introduce and pass the bill on an urgent basis, arguing that they had not received the required documents at least three days before its introduction, as stipulated by parliamentary rules.
They also questioned why the government was seeking to pass the legislation without allowing sufficient time for scrutiny and debate.
Under the new law, the Bangladesh Economic Zones Act, 2010, Bangladesh Public-Private Partnership Act, 2015, Bangladesh Investment Development Authority Act, 2016, and the One Stop Service Act, 2018 will be repealed, with relevant transitional provisions retained.
The legislation provides for bringing economic zones, free trade zones and other designated industrial areas under a single institutional framework. It also sets service standards and timelines for licences and approvals, while requiring all investment and business-related services to be delivered through a unified digital platform.
The bill further requires industries seeking to pay royalties, technical know-how fees, technical assistance fees or franchise fees to foreign individuals or entities to obtain approval from the authority, which will determine the payable amount. Companies will be required to pay only the amount approved by the authority.
Opposition MP Nazibur Rahman said the cabinet approved the bill on 9 July, but lawmakers were not provided with the required notice or supporting documents before it was tabled in parliament.
He noted that the bill repeals four existing laws, but no comparative analysis explaining the differences between the current and proposed legal frameworks had been circulated among MPs.
Nazibur also questioned why the bill was not referred to the relevant parliamentary standing committee for scrutiny before passage.
"We do not know what errors or shortcomings the bill may contain, why there is such urgency, or whether any other interests are involved," he said, urging the government to send it to the committee for review.
Responding to the criticism, Salahuddin Ahmed urged lawmakers to support the bill in the interest of national development.
He said that although bills have routinely been referred to standing committees since the second parliament, the proposed legislation does not create an entirely new legal framework.
Instead, it consolidates existing authorities to eliminate overlapping functions and improve services for investors through a single digital platform.
The minister also said there was no need for a comparative statement because the bill primarily merges existing institutions rather than introducing a fundamentally new law.
