Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) yesterday recommended the government keep a provision in the law that empowers the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) to hire auditors based on its own human resource policy.

The anti-graft watchdog proposed that the government include this provision in the Public Audit Bill 2024, which the interim government has prepared.

TIB said it earlier expressed concern after it came to know that Public Audit Bill 2024 was in the process of being finalised in a non-transparent manner. It later got the draft of the bill and gave its feedback.

TIB recommended the government keep a provision in the law that allows the CAG to include members of civil society and experts in its independent audit committees.

The independent committees will submit their reports to the public accounts committee of the parliament and make the reports public, it added.

Citing clause 7 of the bill, TIB's Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman said in absence of scope to audit the suitability of revenue assessment, there will be an absence of transparency in the whole revenue assessment and collection.

He said collusion among taxpayers and dishonest taxmen is one of the major reasons for tax evasion and there are many examples of such collusion. Tax dodging through collusion is a major reason for Bangladesh's very low tax-gross domestic product ratio, he said.