Stone Gate Chamber

12/07/2026

In Loving Memory of Barrister Muhammad Jamiruddin Sircar (1931–2026)

Bangladesh lost one of its most distinguished sons this week.

Barrister Muhammad Jamiruddin Sircar passed away on 12 July 2026, at the age of 94, after a lifetime devoted to the law and to the nation he served. He was called to the Bar from Lincoln's Inn, and went on to become a Senior Advocate of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh, a role he held with quiet distinction for decades.

He served as Speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad from 2001 to 2009, and as Acting President of Bangladesh in 2002, steering the country through moments that demanded steadiness above all else. Those who worked alongside him remember a man who treated the law as a discipline, not a performance.

At StoneGate Chamber, we did not have the privilege of knowing him personally, but every barrister who has stood in a Bangladeshi courtroom stands, in some measure, on ground he helped shape. That is what a legal career well spent actually looks like: it outlasts the person, and it quietly raises the standard for everyone who comes after.

We extend our deepest condolences to his family, his colleagues at the Bar, and the wider legal fraternity of Bangladesh.

Rest in peace, Sir.

11/07/2026

🚀 আয়কর হিসাব এখন আরও সহজ: Automated Tax Calculator V3

বাংলাদেশের করদাতা, আয়কর পেশাজীবী, হিসাবরক্ষক এবং আর্থিক পরামর্শকদের জন্য এসেছে Automated Tax Calculator V3। নতুন এই সংস্করণটি আগের তুলনায় আরও স্মার্ট, কার্যকর এবং ব্যবহারবান্ধবভাবে তৈরি করা হয়েছে।

V3 সংস্করণে নতুন সংযোজন

✨ বাড়িভাড়া থেকে আয়ের হিসাব
✨ সম্পদ ও পরিবেশগত সারচার্জ হিসাব
✨ পৃথক Investment Details Sheet
✨ প্রয়োজনীয় আইন ও উৎসের Reference Sheet

প্রধান সুবিধাসমূহ

✅ Employment Income ইনপুট ও হিসাব
✅ Financial Assets থেকে আয়ের হিসাব
✅ Income from Rent হিসাব
✅ সব ধরনের আয় স্বয়ংক্রিয়ভাবে সমন্বয়
✅ Allowable Investment এবং Tax Rebate হিসাব
✅ Tax Slab অনুযায়ী বিস্তারিত Tax Breakdown
✅ Wealth ও Environmental Surcharge হিসাব
✅ Return Submission-এর সময় অনুযায়ী Incentive বা Penalty হিসাব
✅ সর্বশেষ Payable Tax স্বয়ংক্রিয়ভাবে নির্ধারণ
✅ পৃথক Investment Details Sheet
✅ Source Reference সংযুক্ত
✅ সহজ ও User-Friendly Interface

কারা ব্যবহার করতে পারবেন?

চাকরিজীবী ও সাধারণ করদাতাদের পাশাপাশি Income Tax Practitioner, Tax Consultant, Chartered Accountant, Accountant, Finance Professional এবং Accounting ও Finance বিষয়ে অধ্যয়নরত শিক্ষার্থীরা এটি ব্যবহার করতে পারবেন।

ব্যবহারের পদ্ধতি

🔹 শুধু White Cell-এ প্রয়োজনীয় তথ্য প্রদান করুন।
🔹 Dropdown Menu থেকে প্রাসঙ্গিক অপশন নির্বাচন করুন।
🔹 দ্রুত তথ্য প্রদানের জন্য TAB Button ব্যবহার করুন।

StoneGate Chamber বিশ্বাস করে, প্রযুক্তিনির্ভর কর ব্যবস্থাপনা করদাতাদের হিসাব আরও স্বচ্ছ, নির্ভুল এবং সময়সাশ্রয়ী করতে পারে।

এই ক্যালকুলেটরটি উপকারী মনে হলে সংশ্লিষ্ট করদাতা ও পেশাজীবীদের সঙ্গে পোস্টটি শেয়ার করতে পারেন।

বিশেষ দ্রষ্টব্য: ক্যালকুলেটরটির মেধাস্বত্ব ও নির্মাণের কৃতিত্ব মূল নির্মাতার। StoneGate Chamber কেবল জনসচেতনতা ও পেশাগত তথ্যের স্বার্থে বিষয়টি শেয়ার করছে। কোনো কর সিদ্ধান্ত গ্রহণের আগে প্রযোজ্য আইন, অর্থ আইন, আয়কর আইন, বিধিমালা এবং পেশাগত পরামর্শ যাচাই করা উচিত।

StoneGate Chamber
Commercial, Corporate, Tax and Regulatory Legal Services

11/07/2026

Early in practice, I assumed VAT was the simple tax.

One rate, one formula, straightforward arithmetic. I was wrong.

What I've learned since — watching businesses come in after an assessment notice, not before — is that VAT isn't simple. It's a chain. Import, manufacture, wholesale, retail, each stage taxed only on the value it adds, each one resting on schedules and SROs that shift every year.
Almost none of the disputes I see start with dishonesty.

They start with a business that read the standard rate and stopped there, never checking whether a reduced rate, an exemption, or a fresh Finance Act had already moved the ground beneath them.

So this week, StoneGate Chamber put together a short guide — how the VAT chain actually works, what the three schedules are for, and where businesses most often get caught out.

It won't replace advice tailored to your facts. But it might be the five minutes that saves you the assessment notice.

The law doesn't punish the confident. It punishes the incomplete.

https://www.linkedin.com/company/stonegate-chamber/

10/07/2026

Bangladesh's tax rules just changed. Here's what actually matters.

Finance Act 2026 was gazetted on 30 June. Most people will skim past it.
They shouldn't.

The tax-free threshold went up, to Tk 4,00,000. Good news, on the surface.

But the 5% slab is gone. The investment rebate shrank — from 15% to 10%, capped lower than before. For a lot of taxpayers, the net effect is a bigger bill, not a smaller one.

NBR also gained real teeth. A new Intelligence & Investigation Unit can search, seize, and pull your data straight from banks, land offices, and BRTA — automatically, in real time. The era of quietly under-reporting an asset is ending.

There's a fairer side to this too. Appeal deposits dropped sharply — from 10-25% down to 1-3% at most forums. That's not a small thing. It means a taxpayer who genuinely disagrees with an assessment can now afford to say so.

And for anyone planning five years out — corporate rates are locked in through 2030-31. Rare certainty, in this region.

None of this is complicated once someone walks you through it. It only feels complicated when no one has.

That's the part of this work I still believe in most: not the sections and sub-sections, but making sure the client isn't the last to know what changed.
If the Finance Act touches your returns, your investments, or your business — don't wait for the notice. Ask first.

06/07/2026

Could Nigel Farage’s Rise Put the Future of the United Kingdom at Risk?

According to a recent report by The Guardian, political leaders in Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales are now preparing for a possibility that was once almost unthinkable: the potential break-up of the United Kingdom.

The growing electoral strength of Reform UK, led by Nigel Farage, has raised serious constitutional concerns across the Celtic nations. If Reform UK wins a future general election, or if Farage becomes Prime Minister or Leader of the Opposition, the United Kingdom may face one of the most significant constitutional tests in its modern history.

The concern is not only political. It is deeply constitutional.

A Farage-led government could intensify English nationalism, sharpen tensions over immigration, and place renewed pressure on the question of Irish reunification. Political leaders have warned that such developments may force the issue of a border poll in Ireland much sooner than previously expected.

Former Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford has described the United Kingdom as a voluntary union of four nations. That observation is legally and politically important. A voluntary union can only survive where its constituent nations continue to believe that remaining together serves their democratic, economic and constitutional interests.

For Northern Ireland, the issue is even more sensitive. The Good Friday Agreement already provides a legal and political framework under which the question of Irish reunification may arise. If political conditions change rapidly in Westminster, pressure for a referendum could increase.

This is why the rise of Reform UK is being watched not merely as a party-political development, but as a possible turning point in the constitutional future of the United Kingdom.

For lawyers, policymakers and constitutional observers, the lesson is clear: constitutional unions do not collapse overnight. They weaken when political trust, shared identity and institutional balance begin to erode.

The United Kingdom may soon have to confront a question it has long postponed:

Can the Union survive if its nations no longer see the same future?

StoneGate Chamber
Constitutional Law | Public Law | International Legal Affairs
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24/06/2026

STONEGATE CHAMBER
Legal Update | Bangladesh

Key Amendments to the
Nari O Shishu Nirjatan Daman Ain, 2000

Amendment Ordinance, 2025

1. New Definitions Added
The amendment introduces definitions relating to forced sexual acts, grievous hurt and sexual acts.

2. Higher Monetary Penalties
Fines have been substantially increased for offences involving corrosive substances, r**e and related forms of violence.

3. Gender-Neutral R**e Provision
The word “man” has been replaced with “any person”, meaning liability is no longer limited by gender.

4. Grievous Hurt in R**e-Related Offences
Severe injury to sexual organs or breasts, committed with the intent to r**e, may now attract death penalty or life imprisonment with additional fine.

5. Compensation to Victims
Fines imposed in r**e cases may be paid as compensation to the victim or legal heirs.

6. Faster Investigation and Trial
Investigation time has been reduced in certain cases, and r**e trials must be concluded within 90 working days from charge framing.

7. Trial in Absence of Absconding Accused
The Tribunal may proceed with trial if an accused is absconding and fails to appear after proper notice.

8. Duty of Officer-in-Charge
Police must record the complaint immediately where prima facie evidence exists and cannot refuse merely because the incident occurred outside that police station’s jurisdiction.

9. Child R**e Tribunals
Special tribunals may be established in every district and metropolitan area for child r**e cases.

10. Appeal Period Reduced
Appeals against Tribunal orders, judgments or sentences must now be filed within 30 days.

11. Protection and Witness Allowance
The Tribunal or Magistrate may order protection for victims, complainants and witnesses, and may allow reasonable travel and time compensation for witnesses.

Public Legal Awareness by StoneGate Chamber
This is a general legal update, not a substitute for case-specific legal advice.

12/06/2026

Pre-emption in Property Law: Why It Matters

Pre-emption is a valuable legal remedy in land and property disputes. In simple words, it gives a qualified person, usually a co-sharer, the right to purchase a property before or in priority over an outsider when a share of the property has been sold.

This remedy is especially important in Bangladesh, where many properties are jointly owned, inherited, undivided, or shared among family members.

When can pre-emption arise?

It may arise where a co-sharer sells a portion of land to a third party and another legally entitled co-sharer wishes to purchase that share by following the proper legal procedure.

Main legal bases of pre-emption in Bangladesh include:

1. State Acquisition and Tenancy Act, 1950
Section 96 deals with pre-emption in respect of certain holdings and gives eligible co-sharer tenants the right to apply before the court within the prescribed time.

2. Non-Agricultural Tenancy Act, 1949
Section 24 deals with the right of certain persons to purchase transferred non-agricultural tenancy interests.

3. Shufa under Muslim Law
The Non-Agricultural Tenancy Act also recognises that statutory pre-emption does not take away the right of pre-emption available under Muhammadan Law.

Important practical points

Pre-emption is a technical remedy. The court will usually consider:

Whether the applicant is legally entitled.
Whether the property falls under the correct category.
Whether the transfer was made by sale.
Whether the application was filed within limitation.
Whether the required deposit and procedural requirements were fulfilled.
Whether the applicant has waived or lost the right by conduct.

A small procedural mistake can defeat an otherwise strong claim. That is why proper legal scrutiny of the deed, khatian, mutation, inheritance chain, notice, possession and limitation period is essential before filing a pre-emption case.

Stonegate Chamber
Civil Law | Property Law | Land Disputes | Pre-emption | Litigation

Disclaimer: This post is for general legal awareness only. It should not be treated as formal legal advice. For any specific property dispute, legal opinion should be taken after reviewing the relevant documents.

Sources consulted:
State Acquisition and Tenancy Act, 1950, section 96.
Non-Agricultural Tenancy Act, 1949, section 24.
Laws of Bangladesh, Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs.

12/06/2026

Debt Recovery: A Practical Step by Step Approach

Debt recovery should not always begin with litigation. In many cases, a structured and professional approach can recover the debt faster, preserve the business relationship, and reduce unnecessary legal costs.

At Stonegate Chamber, we believe that successful recovery depends on choosing the right method at the right stage.

Step 1: Follow up

The first step is proper communication.
The borrower should be contacted through phone calls, SMS, email, official letters, or formal reminders. Many defaults happen because of delay, negligence, poor communication, or temporary financial difficulty. A clear follow up often creates pressure and reminds the borrower of the seriousness of the obligation.

Step 2: Persuasion and Motivation

If the borrower does not respond properly, the next step is persuasion.

This means explaining the consequences of continued default and encouraging repayment through practical discussion. The purpose is not to threaten unnecessarily, but to make the borrower understand that repayment is expected and delay will create further complications.

Step 3: Rescheduling or Restructuring

Where the borrower is facing genuine financial difficulty, rescheduling or restructuring may be considered.

A new repayment schedule, revised instalment plan, or extended timeline may help both parties. This is often useful when the borrower has the intention to pay but lacks immediate financial capacity.

Step 4: Settlement

If full recovery is difficult, settlement may be a practical option.

Through negotiation, both sides may agree on a one time payment, partial payment, reduced liability, or mutually acceptable repayment arrangement. A properly drafted settlement can save time, cost, and future disputes.

Step 5: Collateral Realization

If the loan is secured by collateral, the creditor may consider realizing the secured asset according to law.

This may include sale of mortgaged property, pledged assets, or other security, depending on the nature of the transaction and the applicable legal framework. This step must be handled carefully because procedural defects can weaken the recovery process.

Step 6: Legal Action

Legal action should be taken when all reasonable recovery efforts fail.

This may include filing appropriate civil, commercial, banking, or recovery proceedings depending on the facts, documents, security, and nature of default. Litigation must be used strategically, not emotionally. A weak case filed in haste may cause more harm than benefit.

The core lesson is simple:

Communicate first.
Negotiate where possible.
Restructure where reasonable.
Settle where practical.
Realize security where available.
Litigate when necessary.

Debt recovery is not only about pressure. It is about strategy, documentation, timing, and lawful ex*****on.

Stonegate Chamber
Commercial Law | Banking Law | Debt Recovery | Litigation | Corporate Advisory

Disclaimer: This post is for general legal awareness only. It should not be treated as formal legal advice. For specific recovery action, professional legal advice should be taken after reviewing the relevant documents.

Reference: Based on the attached educational infographic and general banking recovery practice

09/06/2026