NBR moves to detect evasion of taxes in printing industry

The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has launched a move to find out income tax payment status of the country's printing industry finding in it an untapped potential area where many of the taxable entities are avoiding payment of tax.
The tax survey wing of the NBR recently started scrutinising printing companies and firms after it received allegations from the relevant stakeholders over evasion and avoidance of taxes by a number of printing firms.
It is carrying out an extensive survey in the areas where most of the printing industries are located, especially the city's Arambagh and Fakirapool areas. A survey report is scheduled to be submitted to the NBR tax survey and inspection wing on May 12 next.
The move came after the Bangladesh Mudron Shilpa Samity, in a pre-budget meeting with the NBR, said majority of the printing firms do not pay tax and are not in the tax net causing an uneven competition among the tax- compliant firms.
There are some 7,000 printing houses in the country. Of these, some 70 per cent do not pay taxes.
Tax officials said the survey wing asked the field-level tax offices to bring all the printing industries under tax-net by scanning the potential locations.
A list of all printing houses would be prepared and placed to the tax survey wing of the NBR for taking further action, officials said.
Bangladesh Mudrun Shilpa Samity Chairman Shaheed Serniabat said the small printing firms are owned by individuals and are mostly not registered with income tax and VAT wing.
"We cannot give those firms membership of the association for not having Taxpayers' Identification Number (TIN) or Businesses Identification Number (BIN) as tax registered firms," he told the FE Thursday.
Some 1,200 printing industries are members of the association while 7,000 are involved in printing businesses, he added.
"The association recently held a meeting in Arambag area to motivate printing firm owners to get registered with the NBR. The association leaders are willing to cooperate with taxmen for expanding tax-net in that area," he added.
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