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Source: The Daily Star

The press conference, organized by the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) in response to the budget, was interrupted twice due to load shedding.

During this press conference on Saturday, when the load shedding happened for the second time, the generator of the FBCCI building was also not working. As a result, the business leaders were forced to end the meeting quickly without answering the questions of the journalists. The budget proposed earlier by the FBCCI recommended providing uninterrupted power to the industrial sector. The government has proposed an allocation of Tk 34 thousand 819 crores for the energy sector in the national budget for the financial year 2023-24.

In this press conference, which was shortened due to load shedding, the business leaders demanded that the allocation in the energy sector be increased for uninterrupted power. FBCCI President Md. Jasim Uddin said, “If the industries do not get enough electricity and fuel at a fair price, production will be disrupted, and it will affect the economy.”

He added, “The industry has to create employment for the youth every year. But if production is disrupted due to an energy crisis, how is that possible?”

“Besides the fuel sector, the government should focus more on skill development,” he added.

FBCCI demanded the abolition of all types of Advance Income Tax (AIT) and Advance Tax (AT) on imports. This is because AIT and the process of obtaining refunds are very complicated, which increases the cost of doing business.