There is hardly any major consumer product that has not come under the ax of taxation in Bangladesh. Locally produced rice and vegetables are among the few exceptions which, if any governments could, would impose tax on. Therefore when the present government says it has not included any new taxable items, it knows very well there is nothing left for it to include. Consumers from the poorest to the richest are directly or indirectly affected by the state avarice everywhere in the world but while the social safety network in many parts of the world addresses the problems of the poor adequately, in Bangladesh such network is anything but cruel mockery. In the new fiscal budget, the government has proposed broadening the scope of VAT and increasing the rates of tax in many cases, compensating for its inability to include rice and vegetables as taxable items.
Sajjadul Kabir, Hatirpul, Dhaka
I thank our finance minister for presenting a people friendly budget. You cannot expect a better budget proposal than this. I admit there are certain provisions in the proposal which has given rise to some controversy, for example 'whitening the black money'. I am sure through discussions in the National Assembly these issues will be resolved.
Shams Ibne Sayeed, Banani, Dhaka
Before we call cars a luxury item we need to define the word 'luxury'. We need cars not to attend parties or visit our relatives; we need them to reach our office or to attend important meetings and our children need them to be able to reach their schools, colleges and universities. I do not think I need to mention the deplorable conditions of bus transportation in our country; it is everybody's knowledge. So when we put cars under the category of luxury items we in fact do so reflecting the mindset of those who lived in the sixties. Increasing tax on cars is irrational.
Jainul Abedin, Mirpur, Dhaka
Although public private partnership is good thinking, it is doubtful whether it can be implemented successfully in Bangladesh. Our bureaucracy is extremely corrupt and largely inefficient. It is feared that such partnership will allow bureaucrats to broaden their corruption network with the connivance of government party MPs. Under this scheme projects will be undertaken but the implementation is likely to be slow because of characteristic bureaucratic bottlenecks and it would not be surprising if some projects were cancelled because of conflicts. I would therefore suggest that the government should establish a strong, powerful and dedicated cell to monitor the PPP scheme and create at the initial stage examples of government's determination by punishing whoever is found responsible for any irregularities.
SM Amanullah, Dhaka University
I am a mother of two children and I know the importance of breastfeeding. But for a working mother like me breastfeeding is not always possible. Moreover, not all mothers are able to breastfeed. Because of this we have to depend on formula milk. We prefer imported milk because locally produced powder milk is very poor in quality. I therefore request our government not to raise tax on imported formula milk.
Asma Haque, Mohammadpur, Dhaka
Electricity
It is no credit of the government that food inflation has gone down. Favourable weather conditions and hard toil of our farmers has made it possible for mass agricultural produce including rice which is now way in excess of the country's total grain requirement. Global recession has made it possible for sharp decrease in the price of imported consumer products. It is about half a year now since Awami League formed government and yet the party has not been able to prove that it really cares for the very people who have voted for them. Take for example electricity. I cannot think of any developing nation in the world where load shedding is as abominable as in Bangladesh. I am not saying that the government should have reduced load shedding drastically in six months time but at least they could have tried to not let the situation deteriorate. Power crisis is a national issue so the government could have easily made emergency allocation to address it. Rather astonishingly, the minister concerned seems defiant giving the impression that the people will have to suffer for a few more years. I do not approve of Kansat but the government should understand that there is a limit to people's tolerance.
Mridul, by email
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