Staff Reporter :
Debapriya Bhattacharya, who led the committee responsible for preparing the White Paper on the state of Bangladesh’s economy, strongly criticised the interim government on Saturday for adopting isolated measures in the absence of a comprehensive plan to establish a balanced and inclusive economic system.
“We need clarity on how the government intends to address issues such as LDC graduation and provide mid-term support to those who are falling behind,” Debapriya stated during his introductory speech at a symposium titled ‘White Paper and Thereafter: Economic Management, Reforms, and National Budget’, held at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC).
The distinguished fellow of the Centre for Policy Dialogue remarked that the interim government had “inconsiderately” increased value-added tax (VAT) on certain products and services while focusing on raising indirect taxes rather than direct taxes.
“In any country, if the government aims to improve tax collection, it should progressively focus on direct taxes. However, we have not seen any clear plan to achieve this,” he noted.
Debapriya, who is also the convener of the Citizen’s Platform for SDGs, observed that no specific strategy had been proposed to address individuals with Tax Identification Numbers who fail to pay taxes.
“This indicates a preference for prioritising indirect taxes over direct taxes, which is a cause for concern,” he added.
He further cautioned that the country’s energy situation is likely to deteriorate, while the government’s spending structure, including revenue and subsidies, lacks transparency.
Similarly, there is no clear allocation for crucial sectors such as education and healthcare, leaving uncertainty over who will benefit from these expenditures.
Debapriya, a macroeconomist and public policy analyst, warned that the current pro-reform sentiment in Bangladesh might diminish if the interim government does not accelerate its reform agenda.
“Those who currently support reforms might eventually withdraw from the process due to growing economic insecurity,” he said.
He also criticised the lack of transparency surrounding development projects.
“Without a publicly available policy for scrutinising these projects, it becomes difficult to evaluate their impact and feasibility,” he added.
Debapriya called for broader discussions on the forthcoming national budget, highlighting pressing issues such as slowing economic growth, inadequate private sector investment, and employment challenges.
“The growth rate is declining, there is a lack of private sector investment, and employment remains a significant problem,” he said.
