& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

Nowit's turn for businessmen

Apex body wants ACC to take its permission before graft litigation; demands to make bureaucrats, lawmakers pay tax

Staff Correspondent
Following the footsteps of bureaucrats, the business community now demands the Anti-corruption Commission seek permission horn Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry before filing cases against businessmen.
FBCCI yesterday also recommended that all state and government functionaries including the president, prime minister, ministers, lawmakers, judges and bureaucrats should be brought under the tax net according to their salaries and other benefits.
“ACC needs to obtain the government permission before filing any corruption case against government officials, likewise cases against businessmen should be filed after taking clearance from the FBCCI," said FBCCI President Annisul Huq.
He said this at a meeting of the consultative committee on budget jointly organised by FBCCI and National Board of Revenue (NBR).
Recently the cabinet has approved a proposal to amend anticorruption law to make it mandatory for receiving the government permission before filing graft cases against public servants.
At a meeting held at Hotel Sheraton, Hamim Group Chairman AK Azad said, “Businessmen are the lifeblood of the
FROM PAGE 16
country's economy. They pay taxes regularly. Clearance should be taken from the apex trade body before filing any cases against them.”
He said he has nothing to say about making such provision for public servants out it should also be extended to the businessmen.
In its written recommendations on tax proposals FBCCI said, salaries, allowances and other benefits of the president, prime minister, ministers, lawmakers, judges of both benches of the Supreme Court are completely tax-free in the existingsystem.
Public servants pay taxes but later the government gives it back to them in the form of bills. In fact their income is taxfree, it said.
FBCCI recommended complete withdrawal of this provision of tax waiver and said, “As the high-ups of the state don't pay tax it is bound to have a negative effect on generalpeople.”
If the public servants, who are considered to be the role models in the society, do not pay taxes the government doesn't have any ethical right to demand tax from other members of the society, the FBCCI recommendation read.
Annisul Huq said: “Ministers and lawmakers do not pay income tax. If they pay income tax it will add to their honour. The matter may be discussed in the parliament.”
He also said, this time FBCCI did not recommend whitening black money as it did not get good response in thepast.
Chief guest at the meeting Prime Minister's adviser for Finance Dr Mashiur Rahman agreed with the proposal to bring the ministers and lawmakers under the tax net.
He said when he was NBR
chairman in 1992 one such initiative was taken but it has never been put in practice.
Putting forward the rationale for taking government permission before filing graft cases against public servants Dr Mashiur Rahman said, the government officials do a lot of work “in good faith” which may cause loss to the government. That is why this amendment is necessary to provide them protection.
In an oblique reference to the demand of the businessmen he said, it is not right to view everything from the same perspective.
NBR Chairman Nasiruddin Ahmed also spoke at the meeting.