Abdul Kadir Mulla: man with a mission

Mr Abdul Kadir Mulla, the chairman and the managing director of Thermax Group, has recently been awarded as the highest individual taxpayer in the country for FY 2012-13 and the highest taxpayer in Dhaka City Corporation for FY 2013-14. This state recognition of his tax payment has been widely lauded. Mr Mulla is a household name in Narsingdi district for his philanthropic works. He has been extensively involved in charitable contributions for more than two decades. With a unique business philosophy, Mr Mulla lavishly donates to educational and religious institutions. He contends that his business ethics does not dictate him to only maximise profits from, but help the disadvantaged people through his business ventures. His business model is designed to serve humanity in his district and adjoining areas.
He set up a spinning factory in the remote village called Pachkandi under Monohordi upazila, Narsingdi more than a decade ago. The village is so far-off and inaccessible that he could not find a single senior level management expert to go and work there. Managers snubbed his offers. Transport cost multiplied. Utility engineers declined to work there. Even after all these adversities, Mr Mulla did not shift his factory units to a more accessible place. He finally succeeded in wooing experts and buyers to visit his factory in Panchkandi. When asked about locating a factory in such a secluded place, he philosophically replied that it was his village where he spent his childhood, his mission was to transform his people's lifestyle and contribute to their financial growth. Today, his factory there has become a model spinning plant in the country. With will and resilience, sky is the limit.
In his factories, there has not been a single labour unrest and union-inspired vandalism. The reason is that Mr Mulla's company treats all the factory workers as the share-holders of the company. For last few years, all the workers received a portion of company profits in addition to their regular wages and hefty biannual festival bonuses. He reminds his workers that there is no difference between owner and the workers as both are labouring and toiling for same aspiration. So, there is a win-win situation. No one feels exploited or cheated. All benefit. The workers feel at home in his factories and he personally attends to their needs. He developed a paternal bonding with them.
Mr. Mulla, a self-made industrialist, has been a taxpayer for last 26 years. This is his sense of moral obligation and patriotic zeal that continues to inspire him to pay regular taxes. He contended that to develop a country, the mobilisation of internal resources and revenue was essential. When asked about what he would do to motivate his peers in business community to pay due taxes to the state, he said that he would appeal to their patriotic sense and conscience and encourage them to help the country by paying taxes. He opined that to promote Bangladesh as a disciplined and poverty-free country to the global community, there is no alternative to paying taxes to the state.
However, one feels that tax collection in Bangladesh has always been a contentious issue. It is often reported that the NBR (National Board of Revenue) officials are too intimidating and unfriendly to the taxpayers and tax payment is a very cumbersome process. Consequently, the potential taxpayers are snubbed and the regular taxpayers are discouraged. NBR often falls short of meeting its target. However, this trend is slowly changing. Tax collection is increasing. Tax return process is digitalised. More people with taxable income are coming forward to regularise the tax payment after deductibles. Still, one feels that tax collection could be amplified if the tax-related rules are made more people-friendly. Of course, the NBR officials have to be more approachable, polite and less intimidating. No matter how friendly the tax law is made, it will not bring about desired results if the officials who are in charge of executing that law still remain stuck in a colonial, archaic and sulky frame of mind.
While a few patriots like Mr Abdul Kadir Mulla continue to pay dues to the state out of their missionary zeal and good business ethos, a vast number of businessmen still resort to company accounting manipulations to evade tax payment. Tax evasion is a norm and natural in this country rather than exception. To change this, more state recognitions are required for taxpayers. The country will prosper more rapidly if we draw inspirations from the works and services of compassionate men like Mr Adul Kadir Mulla.
The author is a regular contributor to the FE.
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