Staff Reporter :
Founder of microcredit giant Grameen Bank Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus allegedly has dodged about Tk 15 crore 40 lakh tax under cover of paying donation.
He evaded the big amount of tax showing Tk 77 crore 38 lakh as donation to his own business organizations Dr Yunus Trust, Yunus Family Trust and Yunus Centre in 2011-12 to 2013-14 fiscal years, sources in the National Board of Revenue said.
Not only that, a separate agency which is conducting probe about Yunus’ wealth and assets in different foreign countries has also got enough proof over the financial transactions of Yunus with various high-profile businesspersons and enterprises.
Officials said the NBR has initiated an extensive investigation about illegal money transactions, especially to identify the tax evasion, of different business organizations owned by Dr Yunus, his wife and other family members.
“The NBR is now investigating into the allegations of financial irregularities committed by Professor Yunus himself and his associate business enterprises. Particularly, the investigators will check whether the fund transfer by Yunus to different organizations during his tenure as Managing Director of Grameen Bank was legal or against the law,” Chairman of NBR Md Nazibur Rahman said.
Sources close to the NBR told The New Nation that the investigators are also verifying the papers of organizations those earlier had got tax rebate. And if there is an evidence of getting tax benefit in an illegal way, the authority would cancel the facilities. In that case, Dr Yunus has to pay full tax amount fixed by the NBR.
The NBR Chairman further said: “The investigators will also find out source of the money donated by Yunus to Clinton Foundation. At the same time, the donation money given by Yunus to carry torch of the Rio Olympic is also under investigation. Besides, the sources of earnings of all business farms owned by Yunus and his family members have been brought under scanner.”
Officials said the income tax record of Dr Yunus is not clean. There are huge dissimilarities in his declared amount of income, paid tax and donation. He enjoyed the amount of money as tax-free income in the last ten years which was several times bigger than his legally shown earnings, the officials said.
Recently, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the parliament claimed that Yunus has lots of money but he does not pay tax. “He sues taxmen not to pay tax. He does not pay taxes on the huge amount he keeps in fixed deposits. We don’t know the sources of his income. Where does all the big money come from?” she asked.
