The New Nation - Internet Edition

BSS, Dhaka

Chiefs of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and the National Revenue Board (NBR) at a meeting here on Wednesday discussed the way of developing more coordination between the two organisations to handle the cases relating to financial corruption.

The meeting was held at a time when the High Court stayed proceedings of a number of cases filed by the NBR and the ACC against corruption suspects on charges of evading income tax and corruption.

After the meeting with ACC Chairman Lt Gen. (retd) Hasan Mashhud Chowdhury at the ACC office, NBR Chairman M Badiur Rahman told reporters that they talked about the maters of improving coordination as writ petitions are being filed challenging the cases of the NBR and the ACC.

However, the NBR chairman said at present there is no lack of coordination between the two agencies.

He said the ACC, under section 19 (2), has power to seek any information from the NBR and any other agencies. If the ACC wants, it can also seek more information through courts, he added.

Badiur Rahman said they have also discussed the ACC act and income tax laws, and limitation of the NBR under section 163 of the income tax ordinance to provide information for others.

“The NBR has some obstacles under section 163 of the income tax ordinance, which mentioned that where I can provide information and where I cannot,” he said.

Replying to a question, the NBR chairman said the board was very much careful about keeping the economic activities of the country very normal.

“We want to assure the nation that the NBR will not follow any procedure that will hinder the economic progress. But it does not mean that we will stop our all activities,” he noted.

He said the NBR wants to do the tax collection job in a coordinated way by upholding the honour of the taxpayers and maintaining the existing rules and principles.

Badiur Rahman said even after expiry of the dateline of showing the undisclosed wealth of any individual by September 30, 2007, the board would welcome the persons who would willingly come forward to disclose their wealth.

He said the ACC does not want to make the tax realization process difficult with long legal procedure. It wants to setle the cases, as much it can, out of the court, he said.

The objectives of the filed cases were to just give a message to taxpayers that they must pay taxes, he said.