2013年-世界发展银行全球_Enterprise_Surveys___Bangladesh_Country_Profile_2013_15页_1mb

Bangladesh Country Profile 2013 Summary

Core Content Overview

This document presents the Bangladesh Country Profile 2013 based on data from the World Bank Enterprise Surveys. The surveys focus on assessing the business environment and its impact on firm productivity, operations, and growth. The data is analyzed across various sectors and compared with regional averages and income group benchmarks in South Asia and low-income countries.

The report includes detailed indicators across multiple areas such as corruption, regulations, taxes, infrastructure, trade, crime and informality, finance, and innovation and workforce. These indicators are further broken down by firm size (small, medium, large), providing insights into the challenges faced by different segments of the private sector.

Main Topics and Key Indicators

1. Business Environment Obstacles

• Corruption is a significant issue, with 53.4% of firms in Bangladesh reporting graft.
• Gifts and informal payments are common in interactions with tax inspectors and government contracts.
• Import licenses are particularly problematic, with 77.2% of firms expected to make informal payments.
• Construction permits and operating licenses also require informal payments.

2. Regulations, Taxes, and Business Licensing

• Regulatory burdens are high, with import licenses taking an average of 10.1 days to obtain.
• Construction-related permits take 53.4 days on average.
• Operating licenses take 33.5 days.
• Senior management spends 3.3% of their time dealing with government regulations.
• Tax inspections occur on average 1.9 times per firm.
• Legal forms of firms are predominantly sole proprietorships (65.0%), with open shareholding companies being rare (0.8%).

3. Infrastructure

• Power outages are frequent, with an average of 64.5 per month.
• Power outages cause 3.7% of sales to be lost.
• Water shortages occur 13.6 times per month, with 1.8 hours of average shortage duration.
• Delays in obtaining water connections are significant, averaging 51.7 days.
• Electrical connection delays are 84.7 days on average.

4. Trade

• 22.4% of firms in Bangladesh are exporters.
• 50.3% of firms use foreign material inputs.
• Customs clearance for direct exports takes 7.0 days, and for imports, 10.6 days.
• Theft and breakage during exports cause 0.4% and 0.2% losses, respectively.

5. Corruption

• Graft Index measures the frequency of informal payments when applying for public services, with 53.4% of firms in Bangladesh reporting such incidents.
• Gifts in meetings with tax inspectors are expected by 41.0% of firms.
• Gifts to secure government contracts are expected by 35.5% of firms.
• Gifts to obtain construction permits are expected by 54.6% of firms.
• Gifts to obtain import licenses are expected by 77.2% of firms.
• Gifts to obtain operating licenses are expected by 58.0% of firms.

6. Crime and Informality

• 20.3% of firms believe the court system is fair.
• Security costs account for 1.5% of sales.
• Losses due to theft, robbery, etc. are 0.3% of sales.
• 86.0% of firms are formally registered when they start operations.

7. Finance

• Internal finance accounts for 74.5% of investment.
• Bank finance is used by 12.4% of firms.
• Trade credit is used by 1.8% of firms.
• Equity or sale of stock accounts for 7.2% of investment.
• External financing for working capital is used by 19.9% of firms.
• Collateral requirements for loans are 271.1% of the loan amount.
• 34.1% of firms have bank loans or lines of credit.
• 86.4% of firms have checking or savings accounts.

8. Innovation and Workforce

• 14.3% of firms have internationally recognized quality certifications.
• 37.2% of firms have annual financial statements reviewed by external auditors.
• 26.3% of firms use their own websites.
• 36.6% of firms use email for communication with clients and suppliers.
• Average number of temporary workers is 3.3.
• Average number of permanent, full-time workers is 184.0.
• 15.8% of firms have full-time female workers.

Key Findings

• Corruption is a major obstacle, particularly in import and business licensing processes.
• Infrastructure deficiencies, such as power and water shortages, significantly affect firm productivity and sales.
• Regulatory processes are inefficient and time-consuming, especially for large firms.
• Small firms face higher informal payments and greater challenges in accessing formal financial services.
• Formal registration is relatively high, but informality remains a concern, especially in small firms.
• Trade activity is limited, with only 22.4% of firms exporting directly or indirectly.
• Financial services are underdeveloped, with high collateral requirements and limited access to external financing.
• Innovation and ICT usage are low, but email and website adoption are increasing.
• Female participation in management and ownership is low, with only 4.8% of firms having a female top manager.

Conclusion

The Bangladesh Country Profile 2013 highlights the challenges faced by firms in the non-agricultural formal private economy. The business environment is constrained by corruption, inefficient regulations, poor infrastructure, and limited access to finance. These factors hinder productivity, growth, and investment. The report provides a comparative analysis with regional and income group benchmarks, emphasizing the need for reforms in governance, infrastructure, and financial systems to improve the business climate and economic performance.