The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Finance Adviser Dr Mirza Azizul Islam yesterday gave credit to the anti-corruption drive for helping to realise huge revenues by NBR taxmen in the just concluded fiscal year (2007-08) that, for the first time, has chased the revised target.

The revised target for FY2007-08 was Tk 45,970 crore while the National Board of Revenue (NBR) earned Tk 47,201 crore.

After a meeting with the NBR officials at their conference room Aziz said, "The anti-corruption drive is a total matter, but it might help the effort of the NBR to fulfil target-and exceed it."

He said that the government has already taken a decision in principle to give incentives to the NBR officials as they have crossed their mark.

"Of course they will, but the amount of the money and the basis of their incentives are yet to be decided," he said.

Dr Aziz said that the Finance Secretary and the NBR chairman would jointly decide on the matter.

The Finance Adviser hoped that a yet higher target set for the current fiscal would also be achieved. The new revenue target is Tk 54,500 crore.

"The NBR officials assured me that they would fulfil their target for this year also, and I am hopeful about that," said the Finance Adviser.

He said that the hurdles that prevailed in the last fiscal year had prevailed in the previous years as well.

"Above all, it is nothing but the commitment; and I have seen that there is no deficit about it," Aziz said.