Curbing smuggling to save the national economy
Friday, 5 June 2009
Nizamuddin Quasem
SMUGGLING has been draining the resources of Bangladesh both the ways. The government needs to be serious in checking smuggling, which is harming the economy. Smuggled goods, which enter Bangladesh without paying the taxes and undergoing quality checks are sold cheaper and destroy the domestic industries. The rivals are using smuggling to dump Bangladesh with their substandard products. They have virtually grabbed the huge market of Bangladesh.
Smuggling also means outflow of precious resources like petroleum products and fertilisers imported by Bangladesh at high cost of foreign exchange. Much of imported fertilisers and petroleum products get smuggled out of the country where the prices of these goods are higher. It is a net loss to Bangladesh.
Moreover, rampant smuggling of drugs including phensedyl is harming Bangladesh. The new government should prove its commitments to stop anti-smuggling to help retain resources within the country and boost the domestic industries, getting squeezed in the face of unfair competition from smuggled products. Effective anti-smuggling operations would be a blessing for the national economy.
The BDR and the RAB need to be strengthened and better equipped to check smuggling. The scourge of smuggling needs to be stamped out.
Many countries with bigger and more porous borders are successfully countering smuggling. There can be no excuse for Bangladesh not to curb smuggling.
SMUGGLING has been draining the resources of Bangladesh both the ways. The government needs to be serious in checking smuggling, which is harming the economy. Smuggled goods, which enter Bangladesh without paying the taxes and undergoing quality checks are sold cheaper and destroy the domestic industries. The rivals are using smuggling to dump Bangladesh with their substandard products. They have virtually grabbed the huge market of Bangladesh.
Smuggling also means outflow of precious resources like petroleum products and fertilisers imported by Bangladesh at high cost of foreign exchange. Much of imported fertilisers and petroleum products get smuggled out of the country where the prices of these goods are higher. It is a net loss to Bangladesh.
Moreover, rampant smuggling of drugs including phensedyl is harming Bangladesh. The new government should prove its commitments to stop anti-smuggling to help retain resources within the country and boost the domestic industries, getting squeezed in the face of unfair competition from smuggled products. Effective anti-smuggling operations would be a blessing for the national economy.
The BDR and the RAB need to be strengthened and better equipped to check smuggling. The scourge of smuggling needs to be stamped out.
Many countries with bigger and more porous borders are successfully countering smuggling. There can be no excuse for Bangladesh not to curb smuggling.