News Briefs- (04-11-2017)

Workshop on Waqf begins today
A two-day international workshop on 'Revival of Waqf for Socio Economic Development' jointly organised by Islamic Research and Training Institute of Islamic Development Bank, Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited and Centre for Zakat Management begins today (Saturday) at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel, Dhaka. President, Md Abdul Hamid, will inaugurate the workshop as the chief guest. A press conference was held on Thursday at the Islami Bank Tower in this regard. Arastoo Khan, Chairman of Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited, Niaz Rahim, Chairman, Centre for Zakat Management, Md. Abdul Hamid Miah, Managing Director & CEO and Md. Mahbub-ul-Alam, Additional Managing Director of Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited exchanged views in the conference. Top executives and officials of both the organisations were present at the conference. Researchers, scholars and experts from Bangladesh, Brunei, Indonesia, Japan, KSA, Malaysia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Thailand, the United Kingdom and the United States will participate in the workshop. Local and foreign researchers will present 28 research papers as the workshop. — Statement

NBR boss, SDG chief visit Ctg income tax fair
CHITTAGONG, Nov 3: Chairman of the NBR Md Nojibur Rahman and Chief Coordinator on Sustainable Development Goals at the Prime Minister's Office Abul Kalam Azad today visited the weeklong Income Tax fair in Chittagong. They said that the country is progressing with the implementation of many development projects. But the implementation of these projects becomes possible with the money realised from the people through income tax (IT), value added tax (VAT) and Customs duty, among other sources. A committee headed by Chief Coordinator at the PMO is also working out plans to develop Chittagong Seaport and the Chittagong region with a view to exploiting its potentials in the next 100 years, they noted. They briefed the media after visiting the fair organised jointly by four zones of Income Tax Chittagong at the GEC Convention Centre in the city.
The senior officials also visited return submission booths, help desks, large taxpayers unit (LTU), Customs booth and the senior citizens' booth set up in the fair.
Chittagong has been organising the fair since 2010. Divisional Commissioner of Chittagong Abdul Mannan and Commissioner of Income Tax zone-1 Mahbub Hassan, among others, were present on the occasion.
The NBR chief said a high-powered committee headed by Chief Coordinator on SDG Abul was engaged in working for identifying the potential areas of development in cooperation with the shipping secretary and others.
Chief Coordinator's visit to Chittagong is part of that, he said, adding the committee would outline how to develop the port and explore the potentials of Chittagong in view of its strategic location.
Nojibur said that the NBR is honouring the best tax payers and issuing tax cards for those who pay tax regularly.
"We have seen that a family has been paying tax to the government for the last 58 years. Besides, there are many others who have been paying taxes for 20, 30 and 40 years," he said.
The NBR will honour 84 families across the country recognising them as "Kar Bahadur" families for paying income tax for a long time by all members of those families.
He said that the new VAT law has been deferred by two years. By this time, the NBR will have discussion with the businesses on different issues including the payment of digital VAT, digital income tax and digital customs duty.
Abul Kalam Azad told the taxpayers that income tax is a major source of the government revenue. "The more you pay tax, the more the country will progress and development of the country would be strengthened," he said.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is committed to reaching services to the doorsteps of the people so that they get it easily, he said. The fairs are part of that committed service.

[email protected]