Illegal foreign nationals drain off huge forex from country
Saturday, 21 July 2007
Considerable amounts of foreign exchange drained off from Bangladesh as a large number of foreign nationals are working in various sectors of the country illegally, reports UNB quoting competent sources.
According to the Board of Investment, the number of illegal foreigners working here is staggering as one BOI official hinted that it would be no less than a hundred thousand.
"Each month we detect some cases of illegal foreign workers in Bangladesh," said the high official of the BOI. Early past week, the BOI cancelled work permits of 23 high-salaried foreign nationals working with Beximco Group, mostly in Beximco's textile industry, for evading tax.
The Investment Board sources said that the joint forces in operation against serious crime and corruption recently informed the BOI that some foreign officials of Beximco Group were not paying tax on their incomes. Later, BOI and joint forces in further inquiries jointly dug out the fact that there were 23 tax-dodgers.
"Then we decided to cancel their work permit as a penalty," the BOI high official said, adding that most of them are Pakistani. The Investment Board's rules have prescribed a flat rate for salary of foreign workers in Bangladesh.
And the Beximco workers were under the flat rate and entitled to a pay of $800 each month, but the management paid them "much more, as high as $2,000", he said.
It was learnt from the sources that the foreign citizens who work in the textile factories assist the particular factories in getting order from overseas buyers.
Factory owners feel encouraged to employ these foreign citizens as such help is "almost nil" from the local officials. Sources also have informed that each month the BOI authorities find out illegal foreign workers in the country, many in hatcheries. "Most of these undocumented workers are from Thailand and India," said one source.
Concerned agencies, after investigations, were learnt to have advised the Board of Investment to cancel the work permit of some of the tax-dodgers. Experts said security risks might be involved in the case of foreign nationals working clandestinely. Reports say that many Pakistani, Indian, Sri Lankan and Korean people work in Bangladesh in different sectors allegedly without legal work permit.
According to the Board of Investment, the number of illegal foreigners working here is staggering as one BOI official hinted that it would be no less than a hundred thousand.
"Each month we detect some cases of illegal foreign workers in Bangladesh," said the high official of the BOI. Early past week, the BOI cancelled work permits of 23 high-salaried foreign nationals working with Beximco Group, mostly in Beximco's textile industry, for evading tax.
The Investment Board sources said that the joint forces in operation against serious crime and corruption recently informed the BOI that some foreign officials of Beximco Group were not paying tax on their incomes. Later, BOI and joint forces in further inquiries jointly dug out the fact that there were 23 tax-dodgers.
"Then we decided to cancel their work permit as a penalty," the BOI high official said, adding that most of them are Pakistani. The Investment Board's rules have prescribed a flat rate for salary of foreign workers in Bangladesh.
And the Beximco workers were under the flat rate and entitled to a pay of $800 each month, but the management paid them "much more, as high as $2,000", he said.
It was learnt from the sources that the foreign citizens who work in the textile factories assist the particular factories in getting order from overseas buyers.
Factory owners feel encouraged to employ these foreign citizens as such help is "almost nil" from the local officials. Sources also have informed that each month the BOI authorities find out illegal foreign workers in the country, many in hatcheries. "Most of these undocumented workers are from Thailand and India," said one source.
Concerned agencies, after investigations, were learnt to have advised the Board of Investment to cancel the work permit of some of the tax-dodgers. Experts said security risks might be involved in the case of foreign nationals working clandestinely. Reports say that many Pakistani, Indian, Sri Lankan and Korean people work in Bangladesh in different sectors allegedly without legal work permit.