The New Nation - Internet Edition

Chittagong Correspondent

Advisor to the caretaker government on finance and planning Dr. Mirza Mohammad Azizul Islam here yesterday pledged that a relatively balanced, progressive and gender responsive budget would be prepared for the coming fiscal.

He claimed that each segment of the society would duly be heard before tabling the draft budget for the financial year 2008 - 2009 as it was done last year setting aside the prescriptions of the World Bank (WB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

"Best efforts will be engaged in better accommodating the people's aspiration in the draft budget," he said while responding to the proposals and demands placed before him from the discussants.

The Advisor was exchanging views on the budgetary issues with the policymakers, private think-tank, small and medium entrepreneurs, merchants, private voluntary development organizations, shrimp hatchery owners, RMG exporters, economists, public servants and media representatives here at the conference hall of Chittagong Circuit House.

He, while analyzing the justification of the public expenses, said that the bare-eyed scene of the public expenses might not be much pleasing but it obviously goes back to the people in the form of development barring the manipulations and exceptions.

Citing brief comparison on the economic protection policy among the Southeast Asian countries the Advisor claimed that the country's economy had been well protected.

Earlier, President of Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCC&I) Saifuzzaman Chowdhury Jabed demanded bigger allocation for infrastructure development of the port city apart from addressing the city's utility problems on priority basis.

He alleged that some of the measures taken in the last year's budget had hard hit the small and medium entrepreneurs, key players in the country's micro-economy, and demanded immediate attention for the promotion of the SME sector.

The CCC&I president urged the Advisor to review the tax slab for attracting the potential tax payers into the tax net. "Time has come to build better understanding between the entrepreneurs and the state for achieving the development goals by reciprocating the resources," he commented.

President of the Women Chamber and Commerce Monwara Hakim Ali demanded more attention and state promotion to the women entrepreneurs. She demanded at least three years tax holiday and interest cut on the borrowings of the women enterprises.

Executive Director of Young Power in Social Action (YPSA) Arifur Rahman urged the Advisor for expansion of food safety net in the wake of recent dearness of food grains and enhancement of rehabilitation allocation in the coming budget.

Chairman of Economics department of Chittagong University Dr. Ershad Kamal Khan said that revenue earning had always been top priority to the government than the meaningful ways of spending the funds. He questioned what direct benefits the people got after paying millions or even more over the decades.

He urged the advisor to permit solvent public and autonomous bodies to share the development activities by spontaneous contributions what they send back to central exchequer.

Chairmen of National Board of Revenue (NBR), Chittagong Port Authority (CPA), Chittagong Development Authority (CDA), Acting Mayor of Chittagong City Corporation and top officials of public and autonomous entities joined the colloquium.