Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) would be possible through setting specific goals and effective coordination, State Minister for Finance Waseqa Ayesha Khan said on Sunday.
The private sector has a big role alongside the public sector in attaining the SDGs, she said.
The junior minister was speaking a workshop titled “Strengthening partnership in attaining SDGs in the context of LDC graduation” organized by the “Support to Sustainable Graduation” project under the Economic Relations Division (ERD) held at the NEC-2 Conference Room in the city’s Sher-e-Bangla Nagar area.
She said that the farsighted leadership of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was aimed at global development and peace. Under the transformative leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh has become a ‘role model’ for development in the global arena and the government is on the right track to achieve the SDGs.
Putting emphasis on raising the direct tax alongside decreasing the trend of tax exemption, the state minister said tax collection and tax exemption are almost the same and such practice does not exist in any country.
“There is no alternative to automation in tax collection. Those who are obstructing the digitalization process will be punished if necessary,” she said.
She said it is not possible to stay in the global market through providing only tax support, rather the export income should have to be boosted through export diversification. “Following LDC graduation, the revenue generation from customs will decline,” she added.
Presided over by ERD Secretary M Shahriar Kader Siddiqui, additional secretary (SDG affairs, PMO) Mohammad Monirul Islam was the main discussant at the event.
