Dhaka: Speakers at a seminar on the economy highlighted employment generation leading to increasing revenue for the government, ultimately increasing the capacity of government expenditure. They made the remarks while speaking at a seminar on ‘Fiscal Challenges for Post-Election Government’ held at the BDBL Building in Karwan Bazaar on Wednesday.

According to United News of Bangladesh, Dr. Masrur Reaz, Chairman and Founder of think tank Policy Exchange Bangladesh, emphasized the total digitalization of the National Board of Revenue and encouraged cashless purchasing opportunities. This approach is expected to enhance indirect revenue collection and increase the tax-GDP ratio. He further suggested setting a realistic tax target, halting political intervention in tax policy, and addressing discrepancies that lead to the harassment of taxpayers by officials.

Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir, Professor of Economics and former Chairman of the Department of Development Studies at Dhaka University, stressed the importance of creating equal opportunities for all, particularly focusing on youth employment. He asserted that employing more young people would significantly contribute to the economy. Additionally, he advocated for increasing government employees’ salaries to motivate them to enhance their service delivery.

The seminar also featured insights from economist Jyoti Rahman, who presented on the topic. Other notable speakers included Masud Khan, Chairman of Unilever Bangladesh, Snehashis Barua, Chartered Accountant, and Dr. Shafiqur Rahman, Executive Director of the Bangladesh Research Analyze Information Network (BRAIN). Fahim Mashroor of Voice for Reform moderated the event, which underscored the importance of strategic fiscal reforms for Bangladesh’s economic growth.