NBR seeks expertise for halting capital flight, widening tax net

Tax experts from the United States Treasury Department met with the Bangladesh revenue authority Sunday to conduct a needs assessment of its income-tax wing for providing technical assistance in plugging tax leaks.

A two-member team comprising executive tax advisers of the US department--Alan Robi Doux and Larry G. Westfall--sat with the top income-tax officials at the National Board of Revenue (NBR) office.

Officials said a series of meetings would be held between the income-tax officials and tax experts of the department till August 26 (Tuesday).

In the technical-assistance consultation, tax officials sought assistance in automation of the income-tax wing, human resource management and imparting capacity- building training.

NBR chairman Ghulam Hussain presided over the meeting with the tax experts from the world's number-one economy.

One official, who attended the meeting, said the tax authority sought assistance in expanding tax net in a bid to increase the number of taxpayers and revenue receipts thereby.

"Taxmen also expressed desire to strengthen auditing system and check capital flight from the country with the US treasury department's support," he said.

He said the team would sit with all the income-tax members separately to assess their respective needs.

Tax policy, survey and inspection, human resource management, international taxes, wings for audit, intelligence and investigation, tax appeal and exemption, taxes legal and enforcement, information management and service departments of the income-tax wing would exchange views with the US tax experts.

A wrap-up meeting would be held Tuesday on outcome of the assessment.