Dhaka: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday called on the country’s businessmen to pay taxes in time to ensure development.

‘Businesses are facing various challenges in this age of globalisation. Bangladesh can face all of the challenges. Awami League is a business-friendly political party. We are not here to make money. We will not do it. We hope, you [businessmen] will do it. We will ask businessmen and common people to pay taxes in time so that we can stand on our own feet, we don’t have to beg,’ she said the inaugural ceremony of a trade centre in Chittagong.

She called upon the country’s businessmen to supplement the government efforts to explore more new global markets and expanding trade and commerce as the challenges of globalisation are growing.

‘You’ll have to expand the markets across the globe. So, explore new markets, find out which country needs what type of products and export those items,’ she said.

The prime minister made the call while opening the country’s first World Trade Centre at Agrabad in Chittagong.

Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) constructed the 21-storey building, having three basements with parking space for 400 vehicles, on 75 kathas of land in Agrabad Commercial Area spending about Tk 200 crore.

This is the tallest building in the port city which is equipped with all modern facilities.

According to the CCCI leaders, the WTC will have bank branches, exhibition halls, shopping mall, food court, conference rooms, health clubs, banquet halls, billiard rooms, snooker rooms, tennis courts and swimming pools in the building.

From the 10^th to 20^th floors remained booked for a five-star hotel with 240 rooms, and there will be a helipad on the rooftop.

The construction work on the WTC started in 2006 on a land beside the scenic ‘Agrabad Deba’ in the Agrabad commercial area.

Built with state of the art technologies, the WTC will also house, two swimming pools, an international-standard convention centre and one modern IT centre.

The CCCI has already joined the New York-based WTC and obtained its membership, reported UNB.

Sheikh Hasina said in this era of globalisation, international trade and commerce has now become more challenging than ever before.

She termed her government as business-friendly one and assured of continuing the business community of providing all-out assistance for the development of trade and commerce in the country.

The Prime Minister stressed the need for making exports multifaceted ones as well as focusing on branding and attracting products alongside increasing productivity and improving the quality of products.

She emphasised flourishing domestic markets further saying it would strengthen the financial capability of the country and its people.

The Prime Minister also mentioned the huge development made during the last seven years in the communications and infrastructure sectors, including construction of many new flyovers and roads in Chittagong.

‘Works on construction of Dhaka-Chittagong four-lane highway is nearing completion while a provision has been kept there to turn it into a six-lane or eight-lane one in the future.’

Besides, a double-line railway network is being set up from Dhaka to Chittagong to make communication and transportation of products faster and cheaper, she added.

Referring to the construction of a tunnel under Karnaphuli River, the Prime Minister said the aim of the tunnel is to develop both sides of the river as ‘One City Two Towns’ like Shanghai of China.

She also highlighted the achievement of the target of handling 20 lakh TUES in Chittagong Port this year and said her government is going to start the construction of a 6-km long Bay Terminal to increase the capacity of the port.

Hasina said, ‘The government has started the process of constructing LNG Terminal at Moheshkhali to increase gas supply in Chittagong procuring from Qatar and India while steps have been taken to set up a 1320-MW capacity coal-based power plant there.’

A decision has been taken to set up 100 economic zones, including two special economic zones in Anwara and one in Mirsarai to industrialise the country.

The Prime Minister urged the entrepreneurs to further strengthen their business, trade and commerce through more investment in various sectors of the country.

Hasina said Bangladesh has now huge sea area and urged the investors to come forward with necessary initiatives to extract maritime resources.

She also requested the businessmen to pay their due taxes in due time as their paid taxes are being used for the development activities of the country.

Finance Minister AMA Muhith, Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed, MA Latif MP and CCCI president Mahbubul Alam, among others, spoke on the occasion.