Dhaka: Former Finance Adviser of Caretaker Government AB Mirza Azizul Islam Thursday said no more opportunity should be given for whitening black money by paying penalty and taxes.

His advice came from a roundtable meeting on ‘Budget Proposals 2010’ organized by the Daily Vorer Kagoj at the National Press Club where AHM Mustafa Kamal, president of the Parliamentary Standing Committee for Finance Ministry, was in the chair.

Mustafa Kamal, better known as Lotus Kamal, said the government is thinking about making a law recommending confiscation of undisclosed wealth.

Mirza Aziz said, “The opportunity for black money holders to whiten their money yields no positive output.”

Mustafa Kamal said most top businessmen had been in jail for two years amid an anti-graft crackdown during the caretaker government’s rule. “Country’s economic condition is deteriorating day by day,” he added.

He also said the government last year gave chance to whiten the black money to stem deterioration of the economic condition as the world faced severe economic recession.

M Hafiz Uddin Ahmed, another former Adviser of the Caretaker Government, Md Shakil Rijvi, president of Dhaka Stock Exchange, AK Mobin, former secretary, and Naimul Islam Khan, editor of the daily Amader Shomoy, among others, attended the meeting.

BDST 0745 hrs May 20, 2010
SF/RS/MMA/MUA