The anti-graft watchdog has launched investigation into the alleged tax evasion involving the replacement of SIM (subscribers' identification module) by the cell phone operator Robi.
It has collected necessary documents from the National Board of Revenue (NBR) in this connection.
When contacted, the officials at the NBR said that they sent the necessary documents relating to the allegation of SIM replacement tax to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) last Sunday.
The ACC has appointed one of its assistant directors to look into the allegation of evasion of tax amounting to Tk 6.47 billion by Robi on account of SIM replacement.
It also sought information on allegation over illegal VoIP businesses, money laundering and embezzlement of Tk 10 billion as frequency fee against the company.
A senior NBR official said although the ACC had sought information about Robi, they have sent documents relating similar allegation of tax evasion by three other mobile phone operators, namely, Grameenphone, Banglalink and Airtel.
The Large Taxpayers Unit (LTU) under the Value Added Tax (VAT) tax wing sent information relating to its allegation over tax evasion of the four cell phone companies to the ACC, he said.
The dispute between the revenue authority and cell phone operators over alleged tax evasion started in 2012.
The revenue authority had claimed SIM replacement tax worth Tk 30 billion from the four companies after launching a probe by a committee.
However, leaders of the national apex body of all cellular mobile operators of Bangladesh said the NBR's demand is 'unjustified' as it has been estimated on random basis.
T I M Nurul Kabir, Secretary General and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Association of Mobile Telecom Operators of Bangladesh (AMTOB), said the amount has been claimed on the basis of only five SIMs that were purchased by NBR officials for investigation.
"We have no intention to evade tax. Complexity over issue is giving negative signal to the foreign investors too," he said.
Mr Kabir referred to an interim report that had been prepared in consultation with the cell phone operators and the NBR as valid document for resolving the issue.
"The final report of the NBR has not been prepared through any sort of discussion with the cell phone operators," he said.
Following a writ petition filed by the mobile phone companies earlier, the High Court (HC) ordered to form a committee and place a final report through reaching in a consensus with the mobile phone companies on the tax demand.
A committee, comprising representatives of the National Board of Revenue (NBR), cell phone operators, Bangladesh Telecom Regulatory Commission (BTRC) was formed following the HC instruction.
A final report has been prepared by the NBR which the operators refused to accept.
As per taxmen's estimate, the Grameenphone owes Tk 15.80 billion while Banglalink 7.74 billion, Airtel Tk 820 million and Robi Tk 6.67 billion in evaded tax to the government.
Tax officials claimed that they had identified the cell phone operators had sold SIMs to new subscribers instead of replacing those. However the cell phone companies denied the allegation.
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