Join JS budget session
Akbar Ali Khan urges BNP
Former adviser to a caretaker government Dr Akbar Ali Khan yesterday requested the main opposition to join the budget session in parliament saying it is the moral responsibility of the opposition to inform the people about the flaws in the budget.
He was speaking at a roundtable on "Budget 2012: Tax Proposals".
For making the budget session more democratic and meaningful, the former adviser said the opposition must join budget discussion; steps must be taken for pre-publication of statutory regulatory order (SRO) and allowing discussion of the budget in the meetings of parliamentary standing committees.
Akbar Ali Khan said the rules of procedure must be changed to allow the parliamentary standing committees to discuss the budget in their meetings because it is allowed in all countries having Westminster style democracy.
People's representatives get only around three weeks to discuss the budget which is not adequate for a 'democratic budget', he said.
About SRO, he said in any civilised country, an SRO is published about a month ahead for taking public opinions into consideration but such practice is entirely absent in Bangladesh.
The daily Bhorer Kagoj organised the roundtable which was addressed, among others, by editor of the Financial Express Moazzem Hossain, editor of the Amader Samoy and Adamder Arthaniti Naimul Islam Khan, former chairman of the NBR Badiur Rahman and Shah Zikrul Ahmed MP.
Editor of Bhorer Kagoj Shayamol Datta moderated the discussion while tax lawyer Jahangir Alam Chowdhury presented the paper.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.
Comments