JS body reiterates need for setting up separate bench

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FE Report
The parliamentary standing committee on finance has recommended speedy disposal of nearly 12,000 tax related cases involving an amount of Tk 55 billion.
"The cases are awaiting disposal by the High Court and we have recommended establishment of a dedicated bench to ensure early and speedy disposal of the same," said the standing committee chairman AHM Mostafa Kamal Saturday at the end of a meeting of the committee held at the Jatiya Sangsad.
The standing committee has also instructed the national board of revenue (NBR) to take immediate steps to avoid harassment of any incoming passenger in the name of baggage checking, he said.
"We have received many allegations that customs officials harass passengers in the name of baggage checking and, accordingly, we have asked the NBR authorities to stop it immediately," he added.
He said the foreign investors usually are given good treatment on arrival at the airport. But the migrant workers who bring in billions of dollars every year are treated shabbily at the airport.
"We have also asked the authorities to treat the wage earners in proper manner," Mr Kamal said.
The committee has discussed the possible ways of achieving the tax revenue target of Tk 610 billion in the current fiscal, he said.
He said the NBR should increase its capacity and recruit more employees against the vacant posts in the tax collection offices.
The JS body suggested that the composition of Income Tax Tribunal should be changed to have a check and balance and ensure justice to aggrieved persons, he said.
"Under the existing system, income tax officials become the members of the tribunal, which means the taxmen are the judges who would try their own people," he said.
The committee has proposed introduction of earlier system of inducting people from judiciary and accounting profession in to the tribunal, he added.
He felt that the NBR should simplify the tax return system so that it did not create any confusion.
"The NBR has the right to send any tax return for auditing but there should be a clear guidelines for that," he said.