Manpower shortage hampers NBR's revenue collection
Sunday, 22 July 2007
Naim-Ul-Karim
The National Board of Revenue (NBR) is facing shortage of field-level manpower, making it difficult for it to collect revenues as well as check unethical practices by international traders, sources said.
A high official source of NBR said of the total 2116 posts of appraisers, inspectors and investigators, 961 posts remained vacant, as there was no recruitment in the posts since 1995.
The sources said the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in a recent report revealed that the government's revenue collection was being hampered due to shortage of manpower of the NBR.
The CID in a letter to the NBR chief suggested establishing a permanent police unit at the strategic export and import hubs to check frauds and forgeries by a section of 'ghost business houses', they said.
"Last month, we have writ ten to the Ministry of Establishment for its clearance to recruit manpower in the vacant posts soon," a high official source of the Internal Resources Division (IRD) told the FE.
He said no reply has yet been received despite sending reminders.
However, official sources of the NBR said due to shortage of manpower the functioning of the four customs houses namely those of Chittagong, Benapole, Mongla and Dhaka is being badly hampered.
Besides, functioning in the eleven commossionerate offices was also hampered due to shortage of requisite manpower, they added.
About 80-90 per cent of total export and import consignments are being cleared through the Chittagong seaport without proper checking, they said.
Appraisers, inspectors, preventive and investigative officers play the key role in field level inspections of the documents relating to export and import to prevent fraud and determine the exact amount of applicable tax, customs duty, VAT etc.
Apart from this, sources said the on-going survey of NBR to identify fresh taxpayers is unlikely to be completed by scheduled deadline of June, 2008 due to manpower shortage.
The NBR, as part of a countrywide survey, started the drive from July 05 in all city corporations to identify potential new taxpayers for the next fiscal 2007-08.
With the present manpower strength it is almost impossible to conduct the drive at district and thana level to bring potential clients under tax net, sources said.
Vested quarters are submitting false documents and clearing export-import consignments and evading huge revenue, a CID report said and added this section is using Bangladesh as a transit route of international smuggling and hampering country's image in abroad.
Quoting CID report, sources said that the authority concerned is issuing VAT certificate neglecting VAT rules 11 (kha) which made checking information and addresses given by importers or exporters mandatory for VAT determination.
The National Board of Revenue (NBR) is facing shortage of field-level manpower, making it difficult for it to collect revenues as well as check unethical practices by international traders, sources said.
A high official source of NBR said of the total 2116 posts of appraisers, inspectors and investigators, 961 posts remained vacant, as there was no recruitment in the posts since 1995.
The sources said the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in a recent report revealed that the government's revenue collection was being hampered due to shortage of manpower of the NBR.
The CID in a letter to the NBR chief suggested establishing a permanent police unit at the strategic export and import hubs to check frauds and forgeries by a section of 'ghost business houses', they said.
"Last month, we have writ ten to the Ministry of Establishment for its clearance to recruit manpower in the vacant posts soon," a high official source of the Internal Resources Division (IRD) told the FE.
He said no reply has yet been received despite sending reminders.
However, official sources of the NBR said due to shortage of manpower the functioning of the four customs houses namely those of Chittagong, Benapole, Mongla and Dhaka is being badly hampered.
Besides, functioning in the eleven commossionerate offices was also hampered due to shortage of requisite manpower, they added.
About 80-90 per cent of total export and import consignments are being cleared through the Chittagong seaport without proper checking, they said.
Appraisers, inspectors, preventive and investigative officers play the key role in field level inspections of the documents relating to export and import to prevent fraud and determine the exact amount of applicable tax, customs duty, VAT etc.
Apart from this, sources said the on-going survey of NBR to identify fresh taxpayers is unlikely to be completed by scheduled deadline of June, 2008 due to manpower shortage.
The NBR, as part of a countrywide survey, started the drive from July 05 in all city corporations to identify potential new taxpayers for the next fiscal 2007-08.
With the present manpower strength it is almost impossible to conduct the drive at district and thana level to bring potential clients under tax net, sources said.
Vested quarters are submitting false documents and clearing export-import consignments and evading huge revenue, a CID report said and added this section is using Bangladesh as a transit route of international smuggling and hampering country's image in abroad.
Quoting CID report, sources said that the authority concerned is issuing VAT certificate neglecting VAT rules 11 (kha) which made checking information and addresses given by importers or exporters mandatory for VAT determination.