Four mobile operators owe govt Tk 131.44b: Telecom minister

Bangladesh's four mobile telecommunications operators owe an aggregate amount of Tk131.44 billion to the government, Minister for Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Faqir Mahbub Anam informed parliament on Wednesday.
The minister disclosed the figure at the Jatiya Sangsad (JS) while responding to a question from lawmaker Lutfur Rahman during a question-answer session chaired by Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad.
Of the total amount, the state-owned Teletalk Bangladesh Limited owes Tk59.54 billion in licence fees, revenue-sharing payments, spectrum charges, administrative penalties and contributions to the Social Obligation Fund.
Mr Anam said Teletalk has sought to convert Tk 55.54 billion of its liabilities into government equity and the proposal is currently being examined by the Ministry of Finance.
Among the private operators, Grameenphone has the largest outstanding liability amounting to Tk 61.02 billion, he said.
According to the minister, the claim originated from objections identified during an information system audit conducted by the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), which initially demanded Tk84.94 billion from the operator.
Following court orders, Grameenphone paid Tk 20 billion in two instalments and later settled a further Tk 3.92 billion related to a VAT dispute. The remaining Tk 61.02 billion is still under litigation and awaits disposal by the High Court.
The minister said Robi Axiata was initially assessed to owe Tk 6.78 billion following objections raised in the same audit. In compliance with court directives, the operator subsequently paid Tk1.38 billion in five instalments, including Tk 500 million linked to a VAT ruling.
As a result, Tk 5.40 billion remains outstanding under the audit-related claims. In addition, Robi faces a separate VAT liability of Tk1.25 billion on revenue-sharing payments, a matter that is also pending before the courts.
Taken together, Robi's outstanding dues stand at Tk 6.15 billion, according to the information placed before parliament.
Banglalink Digital Communications was originally served with a BTRC claim of Tk 8.11 billion arising from information system audit objections. The operator later paid Tk 1.66 billion and an additional Tk 2.15 billion pursuant to a VAT verdict, reducing the unpaid amount under the audit claim to Tk 4.30 billion.
The minister further said Banglalink has another Tk 1.25 billion in unpaid VAT linked to revenue-sharing payments. BTRC is currently taking steps to initiate legal proceedings over the claim, he added.
With the additional VAT liability included, Banglalink's total outstanding dues amount to Tk 5.55 billion.
Mr Anam said the recovery of the dues has been slowed by ongoing legal proceedings, as a number of claims relating to audit findings, VAT assessments and revenue-sharing obligations remain under judicial review. As a result, a substantial amount of government revenue remains tied up in litigation, he added.

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