Private Industry and Investment Adviser to the Prime Minister Salman F Rahman on Wednesday said Bangladesh will attain double digit next year in the global ranking of ease of doing business. He made the remark at a virtual meeting for the launching of three new services on the Online One Stop Service Portal of Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA). Verification of National Identity Card, Security Clearance of Security Services Department and Land Use Clearance of Chittagong Development Authority services were formally launched through the virtual meeting. Inaugurating the function, Salman F Rahman called upon all to work collectively to increase local and international investment. “Though senior government officials feel the importance of the ease of doing business index for investment, the officials of field level don’t realise it. So they have to realise it and work cordially for the sake of the country,” he said. He said the private sector is contributing to the country’s economy as the government has created a favourable environment for the sector. “We’d like to achieve the developed country status by 2041. It’s not possible without more investment. So, we all have to work collectively to increase investment and improve economic growth,” he added. Salman said Bangladesh’s tax-to-GDP ratio is very low among South Asian countries due to weak tax structure. “We’ve got to expand the tax net,” he said, noting that many eligible taxpayers are not paying tax. “So, the tax structure should be changed,” he added. Executive chairman of Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) Md Sirazul Islam said they have already signed a memorandum of understanding with many organisations. “We hope we can bring all organisations under our services by 2021,” Sirazul added.
