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Drive next month to bring all shop owners under VAT net

Rejaul Karim Byron
As part of the ongoing government push to expand the value-added tax (VAT) collection net. the National Board of Revenue (NBR) launches a countrywide drive next month to bring all wholesale and retail busi: nesses in the country under the Vat regime.
According to NBR's primary estimate, Tk 800 crore can be realised as VAT from the wholesale and retail traders. Whereas, in the last fiscal, the VAT collected from this sector amounted to only one-tenth of this estimate, orTkBO crore.
The radical and manifold changes die current budget has brought to VAT laws and regulations have drawn sharp criticisms from
the business community, with shopowners protesting for weeks culminatingin tbday'sstrike.
"The strike will be of no use. The VAT will have to be paid in accordance witli die legal provisions put forward in the budget," an NBR high official said, adding, however, due to the severe flood crisis thcVAT collection deadline has been pushed back toAugust31fromJuly31.
The official said ifVATis not paid even by the new deadline, appropriate legal actions would follow against die defaulters.
Ib begin with, in next month's drive, taxmen will collect the minimum amount of VAT from the wholesale or retail traders with a view to establish a 'VAT paying culture' first, sources said. VAT
collection at the optimal level in this sector will be enforced gradually within a coupleofyears, they added.
According to the current budget, the minimum amount of VAT to be paid by a business enterprise in the capital is Tk 4,200, in other city corporation areas Tk 3,600, in district headquarters Tk 2,400 and at upazila IcvclTk 1,200.
NBR sources said only a paltry number of shops out, of the total 200,000 in Dhaka CitypayVAT. At the end of the last fiscal, the NBR sent letters to 50,000 shops in the city notifying them about their due VAT payments and asking them to make VAT registration.
An offi cial of the VAT department of the NBR yesterday told The Daily Star more than 500 shops in the Old Dhaka were recently fined Tk 20,000 to Tk 30,000 for not making the VAT registration as well as defaulting on VAT payments for the last fiscal.
He said a process is currently underway to register the remaining 150,000 shops in the capital and district officials across the country will start the same process next month to bring businesses in their respective districts under the VAT regime.
A monitoring cell to supervise strict enforcement of the drive will also be set up under the aegis of the finance ministry headed by State Minister for Finance Shah M Abul Hussain. "The state minister will personally monitor the day to day operations of the drive," the NBR high official said.