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Access to land, taxation and foreign exchange, market access and licensing emerge as major concerns
The nationwide Business Regulatory Process Review has identified 371 business-related issues among 399 issues raised during consultations across the country, with access to land and public infrastructure, taxation, market access and licensing emerging as the major concerns. Lyonpo Namgyal Dorji, Minister of Industry, Commerce and Employment (MoICE), said this during the 32nd Meet-the-Press, adding that the remaining 28 issues were classified as non-business-related.
Access to land and public infrastructure accounted for the highest number of concerns, with 62 issues, followed by taxes, fees, levies and foreign exchange with 60 issues. Access to markets accounted for 52 issues, while licensing and permits accounted for 45. Together, these four areas represented nearly 60 percent of the business-related issues identified during the consultations. Other concerns raised by businesses included access to finance, labour regulations, procurement and quality standards.
On the progress of resolving the issues, Lyonpo Namgyal Dorji said the government was distinguishing between the first phase of the review, initiated in March 2024, and the issues identified during the nationwide consultations in 2026. Of the 190 issues identified during the first phase, 164 have been resolved, while 26 remain outstanding, largely requiring policy or legislative interventions.
The 371 business-related issues identified during the recent consultations are currently being validated and assigned to the relevant agencies for action. “Our objective is to resolve as many of these issues as practically possible within this fiscal year, particularly those requiring administrative and regulatory changes,” Lyonpo said.
However, he said complex issues involving policy decisions, coordination among agencies or legislative amendments could require additional time. Each issue will be assigned to a responsible agency with clear actions and timelines. The government also intends to make the implementation tracker publicly accessible, allowing businesses to monitor the issues being addressed, the agencies responsible and the reforms completed and implemented.
Lyonpo said transparency and accountability would be central to the process, enabling businesses to track the progress of regulatory reforms. He also clarified that regulatory reform should not be confused with deregulation, emphasizing that the government’s objective was to make regulations more relevant, efficient and responsive to business needs rather than simply reduce their number.
The review identified 955 regulatory instruments, which were established to promote efficiency, fairness, transparency and accountability. While outdated or restrictive provisions may need to be amended or removed, Lyonpo said many regulations remained necessary to ensure that public services operated under clear rules rather than individual discretion. He said the success of the exercise should be measured by the number of unnecessary barriers eliminated and the extent to which the business environment improved, rather than by the number of regulations removed.
The government also intends to institutionalize regulatory review as a continuous process, recognizing that regulations that are effective today may become obstacles as economic circumstances change. Lyonpo said the ultimate goal was to ensure better regulation, not simply less regulation, so that businesses could grow while good governance and the rule of law were upheld.
