Finance Minister AMA Muhith has termed the increase in the wealth and incomes of lawmakers and ministers in the past five years a “usual” fact considering the country’s trade and business boom.
Muhith also said the wealth and income statements and affidavits of the public representatives should be made public.
“If you look back at the history of previous governments you will see increase in the wealth and income of those in power has been normal,” he told reporters after submitting his income tax return yesterday.
On making public the wealth and income statements of ministers and MPS, he said: “These should be like open-book accounts.”
Following publication of the affidavits submitted by party’s candidates vying for parliament membership in the media, a team of the ruling Awami League went to the Election Commission two days ago and requested it to see if it was really necessary to publish those.
Meanwhile, the official website of the EC has been acting up since yesterday. The links to the affidavits of the Awami League candidates are taking too much time to load. Links to the documents of candidates from other parties are, however, working fine.
On the investigation into such increase by the Anti-Corruption Commission, he said the ACC was an independent organisation and could investigate the matters on its own, but it would have to take the government’s permission for submitting charge sheets against government officials and high-ups.
“But I have already placed my objection [to the provision of taking permission] to the commission in writing,” the finance minister said, adding that the National Board of Revenue was also responsible for the matter and would investigate it.
According to Muhith’s income tax return, which he submitted online, his taxable income stands at Tk11.50 lakh and he got rebate on an income of more than Tk14 lakh.
Muhith paid the NBR Tk85,536 in taxes for the 2013-14 fiscal year.
He said his total asset had been worth Tk1.14 crore when the Awami League assumed power and it had increased 7.94%, now standing at Tk1.57 crore.
