Owners of Small and Medium Enterprises in Mymensingh on Sunday said that they were bearing the brunt of corruption when it came to doing their business.
The entrepreneurs gave vent to their bitter experience of corruption even though they tried to fight against it.
They said this at a regional consultation organised by non-government think-tank Centre for Governance Studies in association with the Centre for International Private Enterprises, a Washington-based organisation, in the ASPADA Training Academy in Mymensingh, said a press release issued on Sunday.
The SME owners called for reforms of the system to obtain trade licences, renewing licences as well as loans from banks.
The business owners termed personal relationship very important to get loans, and maintained that often times they approached third parties to secure loans, and had to pay very high premium for it.
The types of corruption they face in Mymensingh include paying bribe to officials during customs clearance for import and export and transporting goods via rail and courier apart from facing various forms of extortions.
Corruption has become the norm in the day-to-day business affairs in Bangladesh, they said, adding that if anyone dared to speak out against corruption, they would lose competitiveness and risk retaliation.
During the consultation, SME entrepreneurs lamented how they were bearing the brunt of corruption and demanding formation of a non-political anti-corruption platform.
CGS executive director Zillur Rahman, its programme director Subir Das and research associate Abdullah Al Zafori were, among others, present at the event.
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