Al Amin :
The intelligence wing of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) has detected income tax evasion worth around Tk 503 crore in the first six months (July-December) of the current fiscal year.
Of the total evaded tax around Tk 129 crore have been collected during this time and the rest of the evaded tax has yet to be collected due to prolong legal procedure.
Whereas, Tk102.20 billion worth of undisclosed incomes have been legalised by 7,650 tax-payers in the same period.
Intelligence wing of the 29 tax zones, Largest Taxpayers’ Unit (LTU) and survey zones have detected these evasions and collected taxes. Tax Zones -3, 5, 6, 10, 14 and LTU are at the top of the detecting the tax evasion and the tax Zones-3, 5, 15 and LTU are at the top in collection, according to the report of the Audit, Intelligence and Investigation wing of the NBR.
Experts said that the many tax evaders have remained out of touch every year due to the technical weaknesses, automation and lack of proper implementation of laws.
As a result, a huge amount of income tax has been evaded by hiding 60 to 70 percent of the income of the individuals and companies in the country, they said.The NBR issued a directive to set up ‘intelligence and investigation cell’ in each tax zone to detect income tax evasion in 2016.
Followed by the directive, the detection of the tax evasion is increasing but the tax evaders are getting indemnity by using the loophole of the laws.
NBR Chairman Abu Hena Md Rahmatul Muneem recently said that the tax evasion will be reduced after the conclusion of the existing automation projects.
Bazlul Kabir Bhuiya, Commissioner Tax Zone-13, said that the ratio of income tax detection is comparatively good and it will increase in the coming days.
Several tax zones cannot detect many loopholes due to skilled manpower shortage and different limitations, he said. Abdul Mazid, former NBR Chairman, said, “The Finance Bill 2020 should be reformed because it has created a situation where honest and regular taxpayers are paying 15 to 25 percent tax every year, while tax cheats and other offenders are whitening their money by paying only 10 percent tax.” Khondaker Golam Moazzem, Research Director of the CPD, said that due to the scope for whitening black money, corrupt individuals who have amassed astronomical amounts of money are getting amnesty just by paying a nominal amount of money as tax.
“The creation of the opportunity to whiten black money has lightened the gravity of offences that are being committed to evade tax or to have ill-gotten gains,” he observed.
