EDITORIAL

There can be no doubt about the sincerity and good intentions of the two Governments, the Ministry of Finance, Department of Revenue and Customs and the GST project team in introducing the GST. These are patriotic and dutiful Bhutanese public servants working very hard to make GST a success so …

The current fuel shock and huge fuel subsidies of Nu 1.3 bn a month will hit Bhutan’s finances hard. It exposes in many ways the economic fragility of Bhutan and also areas where we can improve on. For a long time, Bhutan enjoyed cheap fuels prices from April 2023, in …

The government’s decision to subsidise diesel under the National Fuel Price Smoothening Framework (NFPSF) comes as both a relief and a warning. Relief, because soaring global fuel prices, driven by geopolitical tensions are already pushing up the cost of living. Warning, because such relief comes at a steep and unsustainable …

Bhutan’s latest fuel price shock has triggered both public anger and legitimate questions. When diesel in Bhutan becomes more expensive than in India, despite being sourced from there, it naturally raises suspicions. However, as the evidence shows, the reality is more complex, and uncomfortable in equal measure for both the …

Bhutan is making some important long term investments through the Gelephu Mindfulness City, the Diamond Strategy and other reforms and initiatives. The main aim is to build a brighter future for our youth, and the success and completion of many of these long-term ventures will depend on the youth. Therefore, …

Bhutan has developed a habit over the years. We copy and paste systems from outside the country with great enthusiasm. These systems are often borrowed from larger economies with far more complex markets and institutions. However, once they arrive here, they are implemented with a rigidity that even the countries …

TikTok in Bhutan has rapidly taken off and its impact is well beyond the social media landscape. It is among other things a parallel public square that operates without walls or closing hours and is much more immediate. This new immediacy has strengthened accountability in some cases, but it has …

For more than a decade, the 1,200 MW Punatsangchu I project has tested Bhutan’s patience, finances and resolve. The right bank slides of 2013, 2016 and 2019 were not just engineering setbacks; they became symbols of uncertainty hanging over one of the country’s most important hydropower investments. Today, however, there …

In 2019, Bhutan received around 300,000 tourists, but today, in the post-pandemic era the numbers of hotels and rooms have almost doubled and in 2025 around 200,000 tourists have come to Bhutan. While the numbers are going up, it is clear that the number of nights has reduced for both …

The latest visa data confirms what scenes at Paro International Airport have already suggested; the so-called “Australia rush” is far from over. In just the first six months of FY 2025–26, 5,916 Bhutanese were granted Australian visas, nearly matching the total for the entire previous financial year. If the current …