Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in Dhaka called for the formation of a Public Expenditure Review Commission to combat rampant corruption.
At a press conference held at the Economic Reporters’ Forum auditorium, the CSOs highlighted that annual income tax evasion, estimated at nearly $25 billion, could significantly boost public health funding, reads a press release.
The event, organised by EquityBD in collaboration with Bangladesh Krishok Federation, CSRL, NDF, Sundarban Surokkha Andolon, Trinomul Unnayan Sangstha, and Water Keepers Bangladesh, featured key speakers and presenters who emphasised the urgency of addressing corruption and financial mismanagement.
Md Ahsanul Karim Babor, Director of COAST Foundation, presented the keynote, outlining several critical demands, including the formation of a Public Expenditure Review Commission to eliminate corruption, the establishment of an Inter-country Bank Transparency Agreement to curb capital flight and black money, mandatory annual asset and bank statements for dual citizens, and the prioritization of rational public expenditure over reducing subsidies under lender pressure.
Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, Chief Moderator of EquityBD, underscored the impact of stopping income tax evasion.
"If the government could stop income tax evasion, which is nearly $25 billion, we would be able to double the social safety net program for the poor or increase the per capita health allocation four times," said Chowdhury.
He also advocated for reinstating laws requiring public servants to submit annual wealth statements and called for capital punishment for corruption.
ASM Badrul Alam of Bangladesh Krishok Federation criticized the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for pressuring the government to cut electricity subsidies while ignoring the need to halt irrational public spending.
"The IMF, which lent Bangladesh $4.7 billion recently, forced the government to stop the electricity subsidy. But they didn’t prescribe to stop the unnecessary and irrational public expenditure," he said.
Mir Mohammad Ali, Associate Professor at Sher-E-Bangla Agricultural University, stressed that government subsidies are crucial for public welfare and should be directed towards essential services like water, health, and electricity to improve quality of life.
"The government must not reduce the subsidy as those are spent for people’s well-being. Rather, the government should invest in life-saving services like water, health, and electricity to increase the quality of life," said Ali.
Mizanur Rahman of the Economic Reporters’ Forum pointed out that officials tasked with tackling corruption often amass significant assets and money, only to leave the country.
"Those who were assigned to stop corruption and black money left the country with a lot of assets and money," he noted. Ibnul Syed Rana of NDF called for collective action to halt capital flight. "Now is the time to raise our voice and stop the capital flight," said Rana.