The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Chairman of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) Mohammad Abdul Mazid yesterday hinted at unfreezing billion-dollar accounts to restore confidence of tycoons and smooth functioning of their business.

The newly appointed NBR chairman told this at a press briefing following a meeting with the leaders of Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI). He assured the business delegation not to harass anybody without any valid reason. The NBR chief, however, said that suing the tax dodgers would go on and he would continue his organisation's utmost efforts to fulfil the revenue target.

"We want to surpass the target, not only touch the target," he said. "And for that we will take two types of initiatives. One is revenue collection and restore (businessmen's) lost confidence in us, and the other is research and development in the revenue sector."

The NBR chairman also said that his organisation would hold dialogue, workshop and discussion meeting with the stakeholders regularly to take good decision that could be implemented. "I will not take any decision that can't be implemented."

The government fixed a target of Tk 43,850 crore from the revenue sector for the current fiscal year. In the first quarter, the NBR collected Tk 9,301.05 crore against the target of Tk 9,051.46 crore.

Of the total, Tk 4080.08 crore came from imports, Tk 3,218.39 crore from VAT, 1,879.97 crore from income tax and Tk 122.61 crore from other heads.

The growth in the revenue sector in the first quarter of the fiscal is 21.33 per cent.

DCCI president Hossain Khaled, in the meeting, urged the chief revenue collector to take steps for revival of confidence in the business sector which is yet to be regain even after the administrative change in NBR.

"To restore confidence will take time… once lost it takes a while to get back confidence," Hossain Khaled told journalists after the meeting.

But he praised the government initiative for reforms in the business sector, such as forming Bangladesh Better Business Forum, to restore confidence among the businesspeople.

The DCCI president said that due to various reform programmes in the country, the businesses might face some adverse impact for the time being. "But this must be kept at a tolerable level."