Parliamentary panel recommends replacing direct communication with digital systems to curb corruption

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Finance has called for reducing reliance on direct communication among stakeholders and introducing digital and automated systems instead to curb corruption and harassment.

At the second meeting of the 13th Parliament’s committee today (23 August) at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban, it also said it would not be enough merely to identify or punish individuals involved in corruption. 

Rather, emphasis should be placed on changing or eliminating the processes or systems through which corruption takes place, they added.

This will reduce costs and harassment for businesses, improve the business environment and, at the same time, increase government revenue collection, it said.

The meeting, presided over by committee chairman Mushfiqur Rahman, lawmaker for Brahmanbaria-4, and also attended by Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, stressed enhancing the National Board of Revenue’s (NBR) capacity to meet government expenditure and increasing the tax-to-GDP ratio. 

It recommended increasing government revenue collection and making the government’s accounting and financial reporting systems more transparent, modern and effective.

The committee stressed the need to make the accounting and financial reporting systems more transparent, modern and effective. 

Members said greater accountability will further improve efficiency and effectiveness. 

The NBR also made a detailed presentation on its capacity to meet government expenditure, measures taken to narrow the tax-to-GDP gap, and an assessment of its organisational structure and the steps required.