Taxmen set to realise income tax from Dr Yunus
FE Report | Tuesday, 24 March 2015
Government's revenue authority intensified move to realise unpaid income taxes from Nobel-laureate economist Prof Dr Muhammad Yunus.
The tax office concerned of the income tax wing of the National Board of Revenue sent a letter Monday to Dr Yunus requesting him to sit for a meeting on March 29 to discuss ways of collection of the claimed taxes worth Tk 113 million.
Tax officials said the demand for tax is still disputed as Dr Yunus filed a reference case in the High Court (HC), under Section 161, after the taxes appellate tribunal had given its verdict in favour of taxmen.
The income-tax wing claimed Tk 155 million in 2007-08 as gift tax through assessing personal tax file of Dr Yunus, the founder of Grameen Bank, who fought a losing battle with government authorities over control of the Nobel-winning microcredit institution.
A senior tax official said taxmen had received Tk 42 million in taxes out of Tk 155 million.
Last month, Dr Yunus deposited Tk 27 million while Tk 15 million in July last year.
The tax official said the tax zone concerned sent such letter last year also as part of their regular job to intensify tax collection in the last quarter of a financial year.
"A representative of Dr Yunus met the taxmen last year after the taxmen had requested him to hold a discussion," he added.
The tax zone-6 deals with the tax files of Dr Yunus.
Recently, it has launched move to hold bilateral discussion with the taxpayers who owe above Tk 5.0 million in taxes.
However, Dr Yunus have challenged the entire claim for gift tax by filing appeal against the demand although he already had paid 25 per cent of the demanded amount.
On September 09, 2013, the cabinet division decided to take legal steps after scrutinising details on allegation of tax-related irregularities.
The National Board of Revenue (NBR), in an investigation report, demanded Tk 3.20 billion in income taxes from Grameen Bank and its associate 18 organisations.
Taxmen have realised Tk 239 million so far.
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