Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN)- The government will try its best to keep the present interest rates of various savings schemes intact considering the desire and aspirations of the beneficiaries, a senior official said.
"The number of owners of various saving schemes in the country is now around two crore and their desire and aspirations in this regard is very important to the government. We'll try to keep the present interest rates of various schemes intact," Md Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan, chairman of the National Board of Revenue (NBR), said on Saturday.
Mr. Bhuiyan, also the senior secretary of the Internal Resources Division (IRD), said this while addressing the inaugural function of the Savings Week-2018 as the chief guest held on the premises of the NSC Tower Complex in the capital Dhaka.
Director General of the Department of National Savings Shamsunnahar Begum was also present. The NBR Chairman also assured that the government would continue the current stimulus being provided to the subscribers of various savings tools.
Despite various criticisms from the think tanks and economists that the operation of the savings tools is creating an imbalance with the banking system, he said looking into the welfare and wellbeing of the common people through providing them interests against various savings certificates is above all considerations of the government.
"The government has kept the savings tools as promotional schemes. I can assure you that the government would try so that the interest rates of the existing savings certificates do not decline," he added.
The NBR Chairman said the response in various savings schemes is very much encouraging during the July-February period of the current fiscal year (FY18) as savings tools around BDT 550 billion were sold during this period against the fiscal target of BDT 600 billion.
He also informed that the cumulative amount of various savings tools over the years have reached BDT 1927.98 billion.
However, the government received BDT 6.24 billion as advanced income tax (AIT) from the savings tools during the July-February period of the current fiscal which is expected to cross Taka one-thousand- mark by the end of this year, according to the NBR chief.
Earlier in the morning, the Savings Week-2018 (April 7-13) kicked off in the country in a bid to create more awareness among the people about savings and further enhance the quality of services by the Department of National Savings.
The Department of National Savings under the Internal Resources Division (IRD) has chalked out elaborate programmes to mark the week in a befitting manner.
The theme of this edition's Savings Week is "Let us do savings, help building Digital Bangladesh (Cholo sobai sanchay kori, Digital Bangladesh gorai sohayota kori)".
After the formal inauguration, a colourful rally marched from the NSC tower and ended at the same venue after parading Paltan-Press Club-Shikhya Bhaban-Secretariat-Zero Point.
According to the Department of National Savings, it will motivate teachers and students of various educational institutions in the capital on Sunday through giving them proper idea about savings.
On the following day on Monday, the Department will apprise the investors about the policies on various savings tools including their purchase, sell and cash.
On April 10, the Department will encourage the low-income people about savings through holding Uthan Boithok. On April 11, a view-exchange meeting will be held with the owners of the different savings tools while the evaluation and closing ceremony of the week will be held on April 12.
BBN/SSR/AD