Dhaka: All the bureaucrats from the old era remain in the Secretariat and they know how to commit corruption through tactics and they are doing those things consistently, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has commented.
He said these things at a press conference called at the BNP Chairperson's political office in Gulshan on Saturday (January 18) morning.
Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said, it is terrible that there is a corrupt administration, their government has to pay a lot of salaries and so much has been spent in the past on unnecessary work, unproductive sectors, which still remain. For example, the lobbying business has started to make schools that are not needed, MPOs again. I am saying this from my experience that those who commit corruption are being taken out of the Secretariat by colluding with the interim government to give money to places that do not need money now. They are not able to stop it. Because all the old bureaucrats remain in the secretariat and they know how to commit corruption in a clever way and they are doing those things continuously.
In response to a question about giving dearness allowance to government officials, he said, since this is an interim government, such steps will undoubtedly create some problems. At the same time, dearness allowance will increase inflation to some extent, but the income of the common people is not increasing. I think these issues were not really needed for now. If they had gone for elections, which we have been saying time and again, ensuring accountability would have solved many problems which is not possible without an elected parliament. That is why we are emphasizing so much on creating an accountable government.
He said, the fallen Awami League government has practically destroyed the country's economy through corruption and looting for the last 15 years. As of December 2024, foreign exchange reserves have fallen to 21 billion dollars, the country's inflation has risen to about 11%, in many cases it has increased to more than 25%. However, South Asia, especially countries like Sri Lanka, have seen significant inflation. The country's total debt has crossed Tk. 20 lakh crore and due to the liquidity crisis in the banking sector, the people are not getting their hard-earned deposits back. The country's economy has practically collapsed.
Stating that in such a reality, restoring the country's economy to a normal and dynamic state is definitely a big challenge, the BNP Secretary General said that whoever is in the country's governance system, he will have to take up that challenge and face it with competence and courage. But it is a matter of great concern that the current interim government, without addressing these challenges effectively and without focusing on laying the foundation for an economic reconstruction, suddenly increased VAT and customs duties in the middle of the current financial year, which is easy but not beneficial for the people.
At the same time, he emphasized that the government should find new sources and ways to reduce unnecessary government projects and operational expenses.
Mirza Fakhrul said that in the case of direct taxes, more attention can be paid to tax collection by increasing the income tax rate in the highest slab and increasing the surcharge or wealth tax. Effective steps can be taken to ensure that TIN number holders submit returns and collect taxes. Bringing taxable income under the tax can be an important step for the government.
He also stressed the need to use the assets of corrupt individuals, which have been seized or accounts frozen, through legal means, make strong efforts to recover black money, make arrangements to recover money looted from banks and non-performing loan money, try to relax the tough conditions given to them to get loans from the IMF in the context, stop the tax exemptions given to many powerful individuals and institutions during the time of the fallen Awami League government, force all defaulting oligarchs to repay their outstanding loans and bring back the money laundered abroad, ensure transparency and accountability in revenue administration, and achieve the government's annual revenue target by preventing unprecedented corruption. He advised the government to increase revenue and further said that revenue income can be increased by preventing tax evasion and improving tax administration. More emphasis should be placed on agriculture, one of the main sources of the economy. All waste land, starting from the backyard of the house, should be used for the production of daily agricultural products, including vegetables. BNP Standing Committee Member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury said, the easiest way to meet the deficit, you tell the NBR, what can be done to reduce the deficit? The NBR has no other option but to simply increase taxes, it says VAT, it says tax. A government should not go for such an easy option, but there are many alternatives that I am talking about today. Those options should have been addressed by them. The people of Bangladesh are going through hardships, they are not able to eat twice a day, their purchasing power is gradually decreasing. If they impose taxes again in that situation, they will fall further below the poverty line. So the government should have found an alternative and taken steps accordingly.
