A news report published in The New Nation on Monday said around Tk 49,000 crore revenues have been stuck due to slow pace in settling disputes in the three wings — income tax, VAT, and Customs — of the National Board of Revenue (NBR). The case jam would be reduced and the government would get revenue from resolving the disputes on time, if the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) system acts properly. The revenue board, however, has taken various initiatives to bring pace in the ADR settlement, say officials.
According to the report, the NBR introduced the ADR system in 2012 in order to get rid of the case jam. The revenue board also formed four benches at each NBR’s appellate tribunal. The initiative, however, has brought pace slightly. The NBR data shows, the number of cases in three areas — income tax, VAT and customs — is around 32,000, including ones with the NBR’s appellate tribunal and the High Court, with the estimated revenue to be made from those standing at Tk 49,000 crore. However, the new cases continued to file, resulting in the tribunal not getting rid of the trend of lawsuits. The government has set a Tk 3,30,000 crore tax collection target for the current fiscal year while the past year’s actual collection was Tk 2,61,000 crore.
Legal experts have said just two High Court benches have been authorized to hear revenue related cases. Several thousand civil cases are also pending at the two benches, which pay more attention to cases not related to revenue. So, they suggested that the court should have one or two benches dedicated to revenue cases. Lack of coordination between the attorney general’s office and the revenue board has resulted in the delay in the disposing of cases. There are allegations of not presenting necessary data for conducting the cases, and not getting expected cooperation from the attorney general’s office to post the cases in the cause list for hearing at the Supreme Court.
The court cannot dispose of cases without cooperation of the parties involved. Increasing number of incompetent party judges will make things worse. The government itself has no legitimacy in decision making and uncaring to respect law. Its emphasis is on money by corruption. The truth remains that no part of this government is working diligently and honestly. Nobody in the government has any reason to be accountable to the people knowing the government is in power through election robbery.
What is needed is competent leadership with knowledge to run the government. Gun power or corruption can maintain a few in power. But you need honesty and competency to run a government. The whole government is stuck with corruption and the world knows it. As a nation we are put to shame for our inability to have a competent government.
