Business Report :
Thirty farmers’-laborer-rights based organizations have sent memorandum to all Members of Parliament demanding increased budgetary allocation to essential public services and stop corruption. This was disclosed at a press conference held in National Press Club on Tuesday.
The press conference jointly organized by Online Knowledge Society, BILS, EquityBD, Udayan Bangladesh, Unnyayan Dhara, ADB International, CLEAN, Jatiyo Sramik Jote, Trade Union Centre, Readymade Garment Workers’ Federation, Banchte Shekha Nari, Bangladesh Krishak Federation, Bangladesh Bhumihin Somity, Bangladesh Sramik Federation, Development Synergy Institute, Trade Union Centre, Awaz, Jono Oddyan Kendro, Bangladesh Sromik Federation, Bhasoman Nari Sramik Union, Jago Bangladesh garments Sramik Federation and Mehenoti Garments Sromik Federation.
The press conference titled ‘Memorandum to all MPs: Allocation to Public Services and Stop Illicit Capital and Corruption before spreading the Tax Net’ moderated by Rezaul Karim Chowdhury of EquityBD, and read by Md Mujibul Haque Munir from the same organization.
The memorandum says, allocation for education in the 2015-16 budget is just 13.7%, while Unesco suggest at least 20% of the budget. Though WHO suggests 5% of GDP should be allocated for health, but it is only 0.73% of the GDP. Research shows that, Bangladesh loses 2-25% of total GDP and corruptions are mainly occurred in government expenditures. 2015-16 budget projected revenue earning with 63.2% from indirect tax including 10.6% from import tax, 36% from VAT. Usually burden of VAT taxes go on poor people.
The memorandum also places some other specific demands such as: Administrative expenditures should be minimized, special monitoring should be imposed on mobile banking, pressure on public universities to be self reliance must be stopped, additional VAT from private universities must be withdrawn.
Rezaul Karim Chowdhury said, if we can check the corruption we can save about 2.5% of our GDP, and if we can stop the illicit capital flow we can add more 3500 crore taka in our treasury. This money can be utilized for the poor. M Fayej Hossain of Bangladesh Sramik Federation said, taxes are collected from the poor, but services are going to the rich.. Abdul Wahed of Jatiyo Sromik Jote said, agriculture is the backbone of our economy, but allocation for this sector is decreasing proportionately compared with the total budget. J Bahraine Sultan Bahar of Jago Bangladesh Garments Sramik Federation said, garments owners are getting various facilities from the government, but the workers are yet to get rationing, health and accommodation facilities.
Hosne Ara Begum of Bhasoman Nari Sramik Union, Aminur Rasul Babul of Unnyan Dhara, Subal sarker of Bangladesh Bhumihin Somity, Jayed Iqbal Khan of Bangladesh Krishak Federation also spoke on the occasion.
