PM, ministers will pay tax

The cabinet decided Thursday to bring the salaries of the Prime Minister, ministers, state ministers, and deputy ministers under the tax net by amending two relevant acts, reports agencies. The decision was taken at the regular weekly meeting of the cabinet held at the Bangladesh Secretariat with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair. After the meeting, PM's Press Secretary Abu Kalam Azad briefed reporters at the PID Conference room. He said the cabinet approved the proposals for amending "The Prime Minister's (Remuneration and Privileges) Act, 1975 and The Ministers, State Ministers, and Deputy Ministers (Remuneration and Privileges) Act 1973, making it mandatory for them to give tax on their salaries. The cabinet also nodded a proposal for amendment to the Money Laundering Prevention Act- 2011 to stop financing of any militant activities. The law proposed for a minimum four years and maximum 12 years of imprisonment for money laundering and confiscation of the property of the convicts. The law also proposed for three years imprisonment for giving any false statement about money laundering. An agreement between Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia concerning Reciprocal Promotion and Protection of Investment has also been approved by the cabinet. The Bangladesh (Freedom Fighters) Welfare Trust (Amendment) Act 2011 was also approved at the meeting. The cabinet also approved the proposal for amendment to the National Export Trophy Policy 2006 and the proposal for signing an agreement on establishing Joint Commission for bilateral cooperation between Bangladesh and Myanmar. It also endorsed proposals for the agreement on waiving visa for diplomatic and official passport holders between Bangladesh and Cambodia. The proposal for ratifying the agreement on avoidance of double taxation between Bangladesh and Mauritius also got the cabinet nod. Besides, three reports on Turkey tour of the Industries Minister, Japan tour of the Commerce Minister, and US visit and participation in the informal ministerial meeting on Climate Change at South Africa by the State Minister for Environment and Forest were placed before the cabinet meeting. Ministers, advisers to the Prime Minister and state ministers concerned attended the meeting. The cabinet secretary and secretaries concerned were also present.