Finance Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury said that taxes need to be increased to restore the country’s fragile economy. He stated that boosting revenue and expanding investment to create employment are the government’s priorities.
He made these remarks on Friday while speaking to journalists after visiting the designated site for a proposed government hospital in the Patenga area of Chattogram.
The minister said that revenue income must be increased to revive the economy and that this money should be utilized for investment. Emphasizing that employment is not possible without investment, he added that the government is focusing on attracting both domestic and foreign investment. He also mentioned that the upcoming budget will give the highest priority to the education, healthcare, and employment sectors.
Earlier, around 3:00 pm, the minister visited the proposed hospital construction site in the Jelepara area under Patenga Police Station. He inspected the land acquired by the Bangladesh Navy in the Muslimabad area adjacent to Marine Drive, on the western side of BNS Ulka’s Abad Area-2. A total of 14.2190 acres and 2.7 acres of land designated for the hospital construction were inspected.
During the visit, Rear Admiral Md. Moinul Hasan, Commander of the Chattogram Naval Area, briefed the minister on the geographical location of the land, communication facilities, infrastructural advantages, and future development prospects.
The Commanding Officer of BNS Ulka, senior officials from the Chattogram Development Authority (CDA), the district administration, and the relevant land office were present at the time. Joint convener of the city BNP Mohammad Nayeem Bhola and member Sarfaraz Kader Russell were also in attendance.
It was expressed that once implemented, the proposed hospital would make a significant contribution to healthcare services for residents of Patenga and surrounding areas and further strengthen the medical infrastructure of Chattogram Metropolitan City.