The eighth pay scale suggesting salary hike for 21 lakh government employees will push up inflation that will result in negative impact in consumer goods market and finally the consumers will be the ultimate victims.
“The ordinary people will have to bear a fresh direct or indirect taxes as the government will have to mobilise more revenues to manage the additional expenditures to financing the salary hike,” observed Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB).
The government on Monday approved the much-awaited Eighth Pay Scale for public servants, keeping Tk78, 000 as the highest basic pay and Tk8,250 as the lowest with effect from July 1. For funding the basic pay hikes, the government will have to spend over Tk15, 904 crore and when the government employees will start getting the allowances, another Tk23,828 crore will be needed.
The Chittagong divisional and city committee of Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) in a statement yesterday said, “Due to the salary hike, everything including house rent, cost of services and price of consumer goods will rise significantly.” The association alleged that the government had failed to curb irregularities and corruptions among the government officials, alleged CAB.
“As the country’s volatile political situation, lack of good governance and law and order situation have badly affected an investment-friendly situation, the new pay scale will directly affect the ordinary people,” it said.