CIP shortage for want of clean candidates!

Annual targets of crowning businessmen as commercially important person (CIP) remain unmet every year, of late, for want of deserving candidates. Loan default or tax evasion disqualifies many aspirants for the coveted status as business VIP.  
Following the CIP guidelines prepared in 2006, government's screening committee rejects every year since many applications for the title as the aspirants are found to be tax-dodgers or loan defaulters.
Data showed that the government could never select adequate number of businesspersons for the award mostly due to the reasons mentioned heretofore.
"It's an uphill battle. We can't award the required number of CIPs for their failures to meet the eligibility criteria that include good business track record," vice-chairman of the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) Shubhashish Bose told the FE.
"It is better to select less number of businessmen who have a clean business image rather than select a large number by overlooking their tax-and loan-repayment history," Mr Bosh added.
However, the commerce ministry in cooperation with the EPB has finalised official gazette containing the names of only 141 business heroes to be awarded CIP status for 2012.
Of the 141 finally selected CIPs, 101 were selected in the export category led by readymade garment (RMG) sector and 40 in ex-officio category of different trade bodies.
Under the CIP rules, 125 were supposed to be given CIP status from export sectors and 40 from the ex-officio category.
"We have received over three hundred applications for CIP status but hardly succeeded in selecting 101 applicants only as majority of the candidates bore negative record on tax and loan repayments from the National Board of Revenue and the central bank," a commerce ministry official said.
The official also said that over 75 per cent of the rejected applicants were found tax defaulters and the others loan defaulters.
However, leaders of different chambers have congratulated the finally selected CIPs and urged the businessmen to be more compliant with the requirements of international buyers.
"It is a matter of great regret that hundreds of people have been exporting local goods and making good profit but the government could not find out an adequate number of businessmen with outstanding performance to recognize them due only to their bad practices," FBCCI president Kazi Akram Uddin Ahmed told the FE correspondent.
The Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry leader also urged the businessmen to try to comply with the selection process in greater national interest.
A CIP is entitled to enjoy different facilities like entry into the secretariat without a special pass, invitation to national programmes and municipal corporations, priority in air-ticket booking for overseas travels, reservation of seats on government transport like railways, roads and waterways, and VIP status at the airport.
Earlier, the government awarded the CIP status to 118 businesspersons in 2011, 127 in 2010 and 121 in 2009 in both the export and ex-officio categories.
The CIP certificates are expected to be handed over to the business heroes on 1st October next.
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