The National Board of Revenue (NBR) is in a dilemma over providing information to the Dhaka district administration about wealth of the owners of the collapsed Rana Plaza and five other garment factories, housed in the same building, due to a legal bar.
The Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Dhaka earlier sought all necessary information about wealth of those taxpayers from the NBR. The former is required to confiscate their properties as per a High Court (HC) order.
According to section 163 of the income tax ordinance 1984, the taxmen are bound to maintain privacy of all types of taxpayers' information.
Problems surfaced when the DC, Dhaka sent a letter to NBR seeking details of moveable and immovable properties of the taxpayers in question.
The issue was discussed in a recent board meeting of the NBR, presided over by its Chairman Ghulam Hussain.
In the meeting, the NBR high-ups decided to seek opinion of the Ministry of Law and Parliamentary Affairs in this matter.
Talking to the FE Sunday, a senior NBR official said there is no scope to share taxpayers' information with any other entity.
He said the law ministry is unlikely to give its positive opinion over sharing the taxpayers' information with the district administration.
He referred to the restriction incorporated in the income tax ordinance on divulging the information to the district administration.
The HC division bench comprising Justice MH Haider and MK Sarker has issued a suo-moto rule to confiscate the properties to ensure proper compensation to the injured and deceased persons in the tragic incident of Rana Plaza collapse that killed some 1135 workers.
The HC asked the DC, Dhaka Police Super, and Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO), Savar to confiscate the properties of the responsible owners.
Following the instruction, the DC requested the NBR to provide information on the tax files of Rana Plaza owner Sohel Rana, his father Md Abdul Khaleque and other owners of the five garment factories.
Tax officials said the easiest way to find wealth details of a person is his tax file. Deputy Commissioner of Taxes (DCTs) is responsible to keep confidentiality of the information of taxpayers.
Earlier, the NBR declined to provide taxpayers' information to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
Officials said although the income tax law has the bar, many law enforcing agencies earlier took legal action against corrupt persons on the basis of information furnished in the tax files.
They said some law enforcing agencies, including ACC, got the taxpayers' information through 'unofficial channel' to investigate the suspected persons.
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