Parliamentary panel calls for digital system to curb corruption

The parliamentary standing committee on the Ministry of Finance on Sunday called for reducing physical interaction in government services and expanding digital and automated systems to curb corruption and improve the business environment.
The call came at the committee’s second meeting, held at the Parliament Complex  with Chairman Mushfiqur Rahman, MP, in the chair.
The committee also stressed the need for a more transparent, modern and effective accounting and financial reporting system, saying greater accountability would improve efficiency in government operations.
On preventing corruption, it observed that identifying and punishing individuals alone would not be enough; the processes and systems that create opportunities for corruption must instead be changed or eliminated. Greater use of digital and automated systems, it added, would cut costs and harassment for businesses, ease the business environment and help boost government revenue.
The National Board of Revenue (NBR) gave a detailed presentation on its capacity to manage government expenditure, measures to narrow the gap between tax collection and GDP, its organisational structure and future course of action. Committee members discussed the issues raised.
Minutes of the committee’s first meeting were confirmed at the outset.
Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, Chief Whip Md Nurul Islam Moni, and committee members Md Jalal Uddin, Moinul Islam Khan, Md Shahadat Hossain, Md Saiful Alam, Syed Zainul Abedin and Md Abul Hasnat attended, along with senior officials from the NBR, Parliament Secretariat, and the Finance, Financial Institutions and Economic Relations divisions.