Staff Reporter :
Eminent economist Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya has raised the question as to why the wealth that has been amassed by means of corruption and embezzlement will not be confiscated.
If the mountain of wealth built up through corruption is not returned to the people, what revolution is this, he asked.
Dr Debapriya also informed, the final report of the committee formed for the preparation of a white paper on Bangladesh’s economy will be submitted next Sunday to the chief adviser and the findings will be disclosed to the public through a press conference on Monday.
Bhattacharya made the remark at a seminar on current economic situation and launching of Open Budget Survey 2023 results jointly organized by the Economic Reporters’ Forum (ERF) and Research and Policy Integration for Development (Rapid).
Tax collection will also get positive momentum if wealth earned through corruption can be returned to the public, he added.
Donors and foreign investors have invested in many big projects, and they are worried if these projects will continue.
They want to understand how Bangladesh will remain connected with the global economy in the coming days, the economist further said.
While proposing a meeting between donors and the government in January, Debapriya recommended holding a forum meeting on inclusive and sustainable development within the next two months.
“The forum meeting can bring back relief among the donors and investors.”
“Priority has to be given to five aspects, the first of which is controlling inflation.
The other aspects are finding out the problems associated with individual investment, solving the energy crisis, completing projects quickly by removing the barriers of government financing and taking effective steps to ensure proper tax collection,” Debapriya added.
If economic stability and security cannot be provided, the government’s goals will not be fulfilled.
During the event, the economist proposed to present reports on what the government has done to assure people till now and what they will do in the next six months.
Debapriya Bhattacharya went on to ask where the wealth had gone. Why had the government not taken over the wealth through a legal process? Also, why was the wealth of embezzlers who had defaulted loans, not taken over immediately to adjust their outstanding debts?
