'Donors to up aid if gas is exported to India'
Staff Correspondent
Donors are ready to increase aid if the government exported gas to India, said State Minister for Energy and Mineral Resources AKM Mosharraf Hossain on Monday."The donors assured us of increasing aid if we exported gas to India," Mosharraf said at a discussion on National Budget 2003-04 organised by the Institute of Cost and Management Accountants of Bangladesh (ICMAB) at its auditorium. He said if aid declines, it would be difficult for the government to tailor budget. Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) Senior Research Fellow Dr Atiur Rahman said the law and order has to be improved for any budget to have its full impact. He said pervasive extortion has put businesses in a difficult situation and if the government failed to provide safety to the people, there is no reason why they should pay tax. Muzaffar Ahmed, professor of the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) at Dhaka University, proposed review of the salary structure of the government staff to reduce corruption and improve efficiency. Professor Abu Ahmed of Dhaka University said tax holiday should be eliminated because of its misuse.
| 
