Power, energy and mineral resources adviser Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan on Sunday said that the advisory committee on trade and commerce, industry, ports and revenue collection would recommend an amendment to the ordinance issued to split the National Board of Revenue into two separate entities.
He said that income tax and customs-VAT officials had agreed to the division.
鈥楽ome clever tactics were used in the formulation of this ordinance,鈥� the adviser said at a press conference, organised by the advisory committee at secretariat in Dhaka.
Fouzul Kabir is the head of the advisory committee, formed on June 29, comprising five advisers.
Environment, forest and climate change adviser Syeda Rizwan Hasan and industries adviser Adilur Rahman Khan were present.
The energy adviser said that it would be recommended to formulate a policy for the appointment of secretaries and senior officials to the two divisions, created by dividing the NBR, and to determine the qualified officials to be appointed to these divisions.
However, he said that the demand of the NBR officials to appoint only officials from their two cadres, customs and income tax, would not be kept and again, it would be ensured that the administration cadres did not have any dominance there.
Fouzul Kabir said that the committee held five meetings with the Association of Income Tax and Customs-VAT Officers, the NBR, the National Board of Revenue Reform Commission and business representatives.
鈥楴ow the committee will inspect the income tax and customs-VAT activities at the field level,鈥� he said, adding that the committee would see what kind of revenue was collected in the months before the NBR officials鈥� movement and what kind of revenue was being collected then.
He further said that during the discussions with the committee, the income tax and customs-VAT officials agreed to divide the NBR into two entities but they demanded that only their cadres should be appointed in these divisions.
鈥楢nd the businessmen have told the committee that they have faced huge losses economically and commercially due to this movement of the NBR officials. They have said that they are still being harassed by the customs-VAT officials of the NBR. Above all, the businessmen have fully supported the government鈥檚 reform programme,鈥� he said.
The energy adviser said that the committee鈥檚 analysis revealed that the movement that took place in the NBR originated from the conflict between the BCS administration cadre and other cadres.
鈥楲ater, we thought that this was already there, so why did it happen after the ordinance announced to divide the NBR into two entities?鈥� he questioned. 鈥楾he committee will suggest correcting the flaws in the ordinance, but there will be no NBR.鈥�
He said that the committee would soon recommend a policy on who would be the secretaries and senior officials of these divisions and appointments would be made following the policy.
Citing a report of a national daily, the adviser said that the agitators created a WhatsApp group and an anti-government stance was taken in the name of movement.
He said that the finance division would make a recommendation to look into the report.
鈥楾he NBR officials are not in the government鈥檚 trust because they have done unimaginable things,鈥� he said. 鈥楾he government wants to move forward in a democratic manner. That is why the government has shown immense patience.鈥�
Replying to a question on a World Bank report, which stated that Bangladesh might face a recession due to internal political instability in the country and the global situation, Fawzul Kabir said that such report was actually based on some old information. Bangladesh had passed that time.
