The New Nation - Internet Edition

Over last two years prices of rice, ata, lentil, soyabean oil, fertiliser, powdered milk, sugar and many other essential commodities are continuously increasing day by day and the sufferings of the people know no bound.

Our Caretaker government is now considering to increase the pay of the government servants to help them mitigate their hardships and financial difficulties due to price spiral.

Undoubtedly the government servants would feel and get some relief for increase of their pay. But what about millions of poor people of the 'country who are not government servants but they are earning their livelihood working in various private establishments. Time and again we have observed and experienced that whenever our government have increased the pay of the government servants it has made adverse affect on the market and the prices of essential commodities have further shot up.

We hope our government may consider and take the following steps with a view to redressing the sufferings of the maximum number of needy people who are helplessly groaning under the heavy weight of price hike of essential commodities:-

1. Rates of duties and taxes on import of rice, ata, soyabean oil, lentil, fertiliser, powdered milk, suger and other essential commodities may be reduced to maximum and if possible may be totally withdrawn.

2. Rates of tarrif of natural gas, electricity, water supply, railway tickets, municipal holding tax, government service charges, non-judicial steamps, postage stamps may be cut 25 to 50 percent.

3. All the above subsidiaries as mentioned above and subsequent defecit of Revenue Income may be met from the amount of increased salary of the government servants and re-appropriation of the total amount my be made from the head of account of Revenue Expenses to Revenue Income.

We hope that the above steps would not only help the government servants but these would enable the people of all classes to buy essentials at a subsidised prices.

O.H. Kabir

Dhaka