State minister for Finance Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali on Friday (January 26) said the businessmen respectful towards law should be provided with incentives and stern action against the dishonest ones. 

He said at a seminar organised at the NBR headquarters in the capital on the occasion of International Customs Day.

The minister said one of the responsibilities of customs is to prevent money laundering under the guise of trading. That is why it is very important to increase the capacity of customs officials to fulfil the responsibility.

"The cost of import and export should be reduced, and this is why we have to focus on full automation," he said.

He also said, "Although Bangladesh has made tremendous progress in all economic indicators, our tax-GDP ratio is still not satisfactory. I hope the NBR will try to increase the tax-GDP ratio."

He urged the NBR to give incentives to honest businessmen who respect the law.

BDST: 1941 HRS, JAN 26, 2024
MSK