Govt incurs huge loss of revenue due to tax evasion
Sunday, 23 September 2007
Our Correspondent
BRAHMANBARIA, Sept 22: The government is being deprived of a huge amount of revenue as several hundred hotels and restaurants are allegedly evading value-added tax (VAT) and income tax, sources said.
A restaurant with at least thirty seats and a hotel with over ten beds must obtain licence from the concerned authorities for operating business according to government rule.
A hotel or a restaurant will be fined Tk 1,000 everyday if it continues to flout the government rule.
A large number of hotels and restaurants across the district are being run without any licence and registrations.
Several hundred hotels and restaurants have been doing business in the district without licences and registrations depriving the government of huge revenue.
The hotels and restaurants earn thousands of taka every month but do not pay any income tax or value-added tax to the government exchequer.
With the rapid development in the communication sector, a large number of businessmen and other people from outside the district now visit upazila headquarters of Sarail, Nasirnagar, Ashuganj, Nabinagar, Bancharampur, Kasba, Akhaura and district headquarters with ease for business purposes.
Nearly half-a-dozen rural markets in the district also draw a large number of traders and visitors from far-flung areas.
A few hundred hotels and restaurants have sprung up at the district and the upazila headquarters as well as in rural areas. Some of the hotels are also engaged in flesh trade polluting the environment.
Notorious criminals also sometimes take shelter in the areas.
On the other hand, as part of the anti-adulteration drive, a mobile court fined three shops Tk 25,000 in the town recently for producing adulterated and low-quality ice-creams and for not having valid documents.
The mobile court, led by first-class magistrate Mahmudul Hoque, conducted the drive in cooperation with the joint forces.
Keya ice-cream factory was fined Tk 15,000 at Station Road, Pan ice-cream was fined Tk 20,000 at Gokarna Road and Munni Ice-cream factory was fined Tk 20,000 at Choi Baria in the town for producing low-quality ice-creams.
Meanwhile, smuggling of essential commodities is going on rampantly through the border areas of the district.
According to local people, different useful items are being smuggled through different points of Akhaura and Kasba borders of the district.
Smugglers bring sugar, salt, spices, VCD set, wine, ganja, phensidyl, heroin, medicine, bicycle, iron, plough, spade, motorcycle, rickshaw van, utensils and even firearms into Bangladesh and carry gold, copper, cotton, thread, polyester cloth, spare parts, soap and crockery to India.
It is informed that smugglers sell their goods at different areas of the district. Indian miscreants enter Bangladesh territory freely to smuggle goods.
Local people urged the law-enforcing agencies to take stern action soon for the country's interest.
BRAHMANBARIA, Sept 22: The government is being deprived of a huge amount of revenue as several hundred hotels and restaurants are allegedly evading value-added tax (VAT) and income tax, sources said.
A restaurant with at least thirty seats and a hotel with over ten beds must obtain licence from the concerned authorities for operating business according to government rule.
A hotel or a restaurant will be fined Tk 1,000 everyday if it continues to flout the government rule.
A large number of hotels and restaurants across the district are being run without any licence and registrations.
Several hundred hotels and restaurants have been doing business in the district without licences and registrations depriving the government of huge revenue.
The hotels and restaurants earn thousands of taka every month but do not pay any income tax or value-added tax to the government exchequer.
With the rapid development in the communication sector, a large number of businessmen and other people from outside the district now visit upazila headquarters of Sarail, Nasirnagar, Ashuganj, Nabinagar, Bancharampur, Kasba, Akhaura and district headquarters with ease for business purposes.
Nearly half-a-dozen rural markets in the district also draw a large number of traders and visitors from far-flung areas.
A few hundred hotels and restaurants have sprung up at the district and the upazila headquarters as well as in rural areas. Some of the hotels are also engaged in flesh trade polluting the environment.
Notorious criminals also sometimes take shelter in the areas.
On the other hand, as part of the anti-adulteration drive, a mobile court fined three shops Tk 25,000 in the town recently for producing adulterated and low-quality ice-creams and for not having valid documents.
The mobile court, led by first-class magistrate Mahmudul Hoque, conducted the drive in cooperation with the joint forces.
Keya ice-cream factory was fined Tk 15,000 at Station Road, Pan ice-cream was fined Tk 20,000 at Gokarna Road and Munni Ice-cream factory was fined Tk 20,000 at Choi Baria in the town for producing low-quality ice-creams.
Meanwhile, smuggling of essential commodities is going on rampantly through the border areas of the district.
According to local people, different useful items are being smuggled through different points of Akhaura and Kasba borders of the district.
Smugglers bring sugar, salt, spices, VCD set, wine, ganja, phensidyl, heroin, medicine, bicycle, iron, plough, spade, motorcycle, rickshaw van, utensils and even firearms into Bangladesh and carry gold, copper, cotton, thread, polyester cloth, spare parts, soap and crockery to India.
It is informed that smugglers sell their goods at different areas of the district. Indian miscreants enter Bangladesh territory freely to smuggle goods.
Local people urged the law-enforcing agencies to take stern action soon for the country's interest.