bdnews24.com :
The chairmen of parliamentary standing committees on government ministries favour a wider casting of the tax net to increase direct tax revenue in the upcoming national budget.
They made the suggestion in a pre-budget meeting with Finance Minister AMA Muhith at the National Economic Council (NEC) in Dhaka on Sunday.
They hoped the recommendation would be considered before the 2014-15 budget was finalised.
Suranjit Sengupta, Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, said many corporate houses were holding thousands of acres of land across the country for years without making the promised investment.
“This can’t continue. They should either set up the industry or return the land to the government with compensation,” he said.
He suggested legal actions against such errant firms.
He also proposed a widening of the tax net, subsidies for poultry and fish feed, and the dropping of taxes on government savings certificates.
Ali Ashraf, Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Commerce, also asked for levying taxes on more people and businesses and greater transparency in government work.
“There is no alternative to expanding the tax net. The economy cannot be protected if the area of direct tax isn’t widened,” he said.
AKM Rahmatullah, Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Information, said: “The country’s population is on the rise, but its land is constant. It’s necessary to create employment for this increasing population. For that we need a planned industrialisation. So, it’s essential to prepare a land-use guideline.”
Ramesh Chandra Sen, Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Water Resources, said: “The government must raise its earnings. And expanding the direct tax net is the best option.”
Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs AB Tajul Islam, Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Textiles and Jute Begum Munnujan Sufian, Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism Faruk Khan and Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of CHT Affairs Ubaidul Muktadir Chowdhury were among those who spoke.
Bangladesh Bank Governor Atiur Rahman, Finance Division Secretary Fazle Kabir, Chairman of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) Ghulam Hossain, Secretary to the Bank and Financial Institution Division Aslam Alam and other high officials were present in the meeting.
