Staff Reporter :
The High Court (HC) on Tuesday stayed the National Board of Revenue’s decision of freezing the bank accounts of Robi Axiata Limited, the country’s second largest mobile operator, on allegations of dodging Tk 18.72 crore as value added tax and supplementary duty. The HC bench of Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury and Justice Md Iqbal Kabir passed the order after hearing a writ petition filed by Robi Axiata Ltd.
Barrister Tanjib-ul Alam appeared for the Robi Axiata, while Deputy Attorney General S M Moniruzzaman stood for the state. Tanjib-ul Alam said, “National Board of Revenue (NBR) on Monday in letters directed all the banks to freeze all the accounts of Robi Axiata Ltd for three days. To stop it, Robi Axiata filed a writ petition on Tuesday challenging the legality of that letter. The HC stayed the effectiveness of that letter and also issued a rule after hearing the writ petition.”
In the rule, the court wanted to know as to why the letter of the NBR, directing all the banks to freeze all the accounts of Robi Axiata Ltd for three days, should not be declared ultra vires to the Constitution and without lawful authority.
Deputy Attorney General S M Moniruzzaman said, they will appeal against the HC order.
Meanwhile, Robi Axiata on Tuesday said in a press release that all the bank accounts of the mobile phone operator had been active soon after the HC order.
The National Board of Revenue on Monday froze the bank accounts of Robi Axiata Ltd, the country’s second largest mobile operator, on allegations of dodging Tk 18.72 crore as value added tax and supplementary duty.
Robi ‘evaded’ tax by not paying in due time, said the Large Taxpayers Unit, a field office of the NBR. Subsequently, it asked banks to freeze the accounts of the mobile phone operator for three days. The operator denied the allegation, saying that it is a longstanding dispute with the NBR over VAT, said Ekram Kabir, Vice-President of Communications and Corporate Responsibility at Robi. The LTU, however, disagreed that there was any dispute surrounding the issue. “The other operators are paying the VAT and SDs on the same items, but Robi has not paid,” said Md Matiur Rahman, Commissioner of LTU, VAT. The LTU had several meetings with Robi and requested them to deposit the tax in the State Exchequer. “But they did not comply with. Under the circumstance, I have decided to be strict as per law. If they (Robi) pay VAT tomorrow, we will release their bank accounts,” he added.
Robi Axiata said in the press release, “Robi Axiata is conducting its functions as a responsible mobile phone operator since 1997 and also as one of the biggest tax payers of the country. Robi Axiata is conducting its all functions following the laws of the country as the second largest mobile phone operator and the operator is committed to the development of the country’s telecommunications industry.”
