Further scrutiny to delay major tax reform project
Monday, 6 October 2008
S M Jahangir
Launching of the proposed Tk 3.0-billion project for upgrading the country's revenue administration will be delayed further as the authorities concerned want to scrutinise its viability, official sources said.
The government had planned to take up a mega reforms programme styled "Revenue Administration Modernisation Project (RAMP)" more than four years back" with the objective of making the revenue collection process more effective and time-befitting, they said.
"We need to carry out more feasibility study before the launch of the donor-aided reforms programme," a senior National Board of Revenue (NBR) official said.
The official further said the authorities have already had a series of discussions with the World Bank (WB) on the proposed reforms agenda. Around Tk 2.8 billion worth of fund is expected to be available from the multilateral lender for the project.
"Now, we are examining the pros and cons of the proposed RAMP and its viability in the context of our local conditions," said another senior NBR official.
Prescribed by the WB, the authorities took up the plan in the middle part of 2004 for launching the RAMP with the assurance from the WB.
"Bringing about major structural changes in the tax administration, simplification of revenue collection procedures and development of human resource are high on the reform agenda," said an official.
He also said the RAMP aims to build up the capacity of the revenue administration through upgrading of skills of the tax officials.
According to the project proposal, all the wings under the NBR - Income Tax, Customs and Value Added Tax (VAT) - are to come under the proposed reforms programme.
Officials also said the proposed RAMP would be a follow-up of the existing 'Modernisation and Automation Project (MAP)', which was launched earlier for enhancing the administrative capacity of the NBR.
Pursued by major multilateral donors including the WB, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the government previously undertook various reforms programmes for its tax administration.
The main objective of such programmers were to boost the government's revenue collection through enhancing the capacity of the NBR, sources said.
Rationalisation of tariff structures, establishments of separate large taxpayers' units for VAT and income tax, setting up of central intelligence wing and creation of a central audit wing are among the major outcomes of the reforms programmes, they added.
Launching of the proposed Tk 3.0-billion project for upgrading the country's revenue administration will be delayed further as the authorities concerned want to scrutinise its viability, official sources said.
The government had planned to take up a mega reforms programme styled "Revenue Administration Modernisation Project (RAMP)" more than four years back" with the objective of making the revenue collection process more effective and time-befitting, they said.
"We need to carry out more feasibility study before the launch of the donor-aided reforms programme," a senior National Board of Revenue (NBR) official said.
The official further said the authorities have already had a series of discussions with the World Bank (WB) on the proposed reforms agenda. Around Tk 2.8 billion worth of fund is expected to be available from the multilateral lender for the project.
"Now, we are examining the pros and cons of the proposed RAMP and its viability in the context of our local conditions," said another senior NBR official.
Prescribed by the WB, the authorities took up the plan in the middle part of 2004 for launching the RAMP with the assurance from the WB.
"Bringing about major structural changes in the tax administration, simplification of revenue collection procedures and development of human resource are high on the reform agenda," said an official.
He also said the RAMP aims to build up the capacity of the revenue administration through upgrading of skills of the tax officials.
According to the project proposal, all the wings under the NBR - Income Tax, Customs and Value Added Tax (VAT) - are to come under the proposed reforms programme.
Officials also said the proposed RAMP would be a follow-up of the existing 'Modernisation and Automation Project (MAP)', which was launched earlier for enhancing the administrative capacity of the NBR.
Pursued by major multilateral donors including the WB, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the government previously undertook various reforms programmes for its tax administration.
The main objective of such programmers were to boost the government's revenue collection through enhancing the capacity of the NBR, sources said.
Rationalisation of tariff structures, establishments of separate large taxpayers' units for VAT and income tax, setting up of central intelligence wing and creation of a central audit wing are among the major outcomes of the reforms programmes, they added.