Budget do not represent people, Nagorik Oikya seminar told

Nazrul Islam Khan, member, BNP standing committee addressing a seminar on the national budget organised by Nagorik Oikya on Thursday.

Speakers at a seminar on Thursday said that the new national budget placed by the government does not represnt the average men who are the taxpayers in the predominantly indirect tax based financial statement.

They said that since the present government was not elected by the people who has no representation in the Parliament the taxation proposals have made by the government without representation. 

The seminar was organised by Nagorik Oikya at the Dhaka Reporters' Unity with Nagorik Oikya president Mahmudur Rahman in the chair. Nazrul Islam Khan, member of standing committee of the BNP was the chief guest at the function which was also addressed by Saiful Huq, general secretary, Biplabi Worker's Party, Jonaid Saki, convener, Gano Sanghati Andolan and coordinator, Ganatantra Manch; Advocate Subrata Chowdhury, GS, Gonoforum; Nurul Huq Nur, president, Gono Odhikar Parishad, Advocate Hasanat Qayyum, convener, Rastra Sangskar Andolan, Shahiduddin, GS, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, Manjur Rahman Manju, GS, Amar Bangladesh Party, Moshiuzzaman, president another faction of Gono Odhikar Parishad and Babul Sarkar Chakhari of Bangladesh Peoples Party and Abul Bashar, GS, Ahimsha Gonoabhutthan Bangladesh.

Nazrul Islam Khan said the present budget size 1000 times higher than that of 1972 but did not give due importance to the three pillars on which the economy rests. Agriculture, expatriate workers and the garment industry have been neglected. The budget says nothing on labourers and their wage. The proportion of landless people has increased from 32pc to 72pc. Income disparity has increased along with it disparity in consumption. 

Big billionnaires are increasing at a higher rate than in China, he said adding,  prices are going up real while income of average people is coming down. 

Underlining the need for ration to all garment workers which will cost only 10,000 taka, he said this will be less than the incentives given to owners. Ration is given to 20 lakh people who are not in productive sectors. Ration to workers would multiply production. Every year 10 lakh new people enter the employment market, he said. 

A former Chief Justice appointed by the present govt was charged and convicted of corruption. Same is the case with a former army chief, a former police chief and a former minister, Nazrul Islam Khan said. 

He criticised the government for requiring people to pay Tk 2000 tax in the form of minimum tax per TIN certificate to get service. Referring to allocations he said Bangladesh has stood second lowest in health sector allocation out of 200 countries. People meet 73pc of health expenses from own pockets. He criticised the government for charging Taka 30pc tax from honest people and 15pc for whitening black money.

Nazrul Islam Khan called for strengthening  movement to establish  accountability.

In his presidential speech Mahmudur Rahman Manna said, the budget does have no  provision to bring down prices. Reserve has gone to nearly zero. Govt has severely restricted imports. Debt servicing will cost Tk 1.25 lakh crore, he said.

The Nagorik Oikya chief said that the government is giving shelter to dishonest people. Budget has given no sense of direction. Will anybody say economy is progressing after seeing the current budget, he asked.

Referring to the weaknesses of the economy Manna observed, the Sri Lank syndrome is visibe, prices will not go down, bank looting will not stop and sufferings of people will not diminish because of the budget. That's why movement is needed to bring down the government, he added.

Saiful Huq, GS, Biplabi Workers Party said the national exchequer has become empty while many banks have turned bankrupt and the Bangladesh Bank was functioning as a cooperative society of looters. Referring to the state of Mga projects he said, the daily earnings of the Karnaphuli tunnel was failing ro meet the daily expenses. Rail link to Cox's Bazar similarly provd not sustainable.

Jonaid Saki said that the government has acknowledged crisis in the economy but has not given the reasons leading to it. In the name of development the government has created a reign of looting, he said. 

Nurul Huq Nur said that even ordinary people paid tax while ruling party people plunder the economy. He said that allocations to the education and health sectors are coming down.

Advocate Hasanat Qayyum said that per head tax in the budget comes to taka 44,000 and a five member family is bearing nearly Taka 2.5 lakh. Under the present constitution framers of the finance bill have an absolute power to impose tax. Once the bill is passed there is no way to make them revise th same. Only the Comptroller and Auditor General is empowered to oversee the government expenses. We need to democratise the budgeting system, he said.