Along the Bhutan-India border, the town of Phuentsholing finds itself caught between the logic of its own regulatory architecture and the simpler arithmetic of survival. A study released in early 2026 revealed that prices in Phuentsholing exceed those in neighboring Jaigaon by as much as 155 percent across most product categories — not because of greed, but because taxes, fees, fragmented supply chains, and informal competition have compounded into a structural disadvantage that formal retailers cannot outrun. The town's merchants watch their customers cross the border daily, and in that quiet
Bhutan's border town struggles as taxes, fees price locals out of market
Local shopkeepers and small businesses face economic hardship and potential closure due to inability to compete on price and operational constraints.