Md Mahabub Alam :
Twenty-nine tax regions under the National Board of Revenue (NBR) could not fulfill their tax collection target set for the first half of the current fiscal year, sources said.
A total 31 tax regions throughout the country collected Tk 2,888 crore only during the July-December period of the fiscal year 2013-14 against the target of Tk 3,985 crore.
Of the regions, Tax Region-4 and Mymensingh Tax Region only succeeded to reach their targets collecting of Tk 241 crore and Tk 13 crore respectively.
Tax Region-1 collected Tk 410 crore against Tk 415 crore, Region-2 Tk 325 crore againstTk466 crore, Region-3 Tk 37 crore against Tk 47 crore, Region-5 Tk 35 crore against Tk 50 crore, Region-6 Tk 23 crore against against Tk 64 crore.
Region-9 collected Tk 30 crore against Tk 33 crore, Region-10 Tk 23 crore against 29 crore, region-11 Tk 99 crore against Tk 113 crore, Region-12 Tk 49 crore against Tk 50 crore, Region-13 Tk 25 crore against Tk 54 crore, Region-14 Tk 32 crore against Tk 54 crore, Region-15 Tk 10 crore against Tk 20 crore and Central Region Tk 63 crore against Tk 104 crore.
Besides, 13 tax areas in Chittagong, Khulna, Rajshai, Rangpur, Sylhet, Narayanganj, Gazipur, Comilla and Bogra are waiting lagging behind the target.
The total tax collection of NBR between July and December in 2013 was Tk 15,638 crore against the target of Tk 19,067 crore, which counts 18 per cent deficit.
The target of revenue collection was Tk 57,518.82 crore but it could collect Tk 48,983.80 crore.
An officer of the NBR seeking anonymity told The New Nation that the rate of low collection of tax and revenue might be for the political unrest during the time. The deficit could be minimised if a congenial atmosphere prevails in the country.
