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'Innovation' in tax dodging

20 importers doctor bank documents to evade over Tk 50cr in taxes

Mohammad Suman, Chittagong
More than a hundred bank documents were forged by at least 20 importers to evade tax, causing a loss of overTk 50 crore to the state exchequer.
This has been unearthed by officials of the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate and the Chittagong Customs House.
The importers tampered with Letters of Credit (LCs) and changed the names, quantities and prices of goods to dodge tax, said several officials at the directorate that launched a probe into the matter in November last year.
The assessment value of imported goods is determined through documents issued by the banks concerned, and clearing and forwarding (C&F) agents are responsible for releasing goods from the customs.
With the help of a section of C&F agents, the importers altered the prices and descriptions of the goods in the documents to lower the assessment value, said some officials at the customs house.
"We have found the involvement of
several firms in such activities. The amount of tax they are dodging is not small. We locked several consignments with forged documents and those will be examined thoroughly," said AKM Nurul Huda Azad, additional director general of the directorate (Chittagong zone).
Assistant Commissioner of the directorate Tareque Mahmood said they found out that at least 20 firms had doctored about a hundred bank documents to evade tax in recent times. And the amount of dodged tax was more than Tk 50 crore.
“The business organisations involved in such unlawful activities are now under surveillance. We will scrutinise the records of their previous consignments,” he told this correspondent.
On information, directorate officials seized a consignment of Bangladesh Science House (BSH), a company based in the capital's Mohakhali, in mid-December last year.
The BSH imported a reconditioned Toyota car from a Japanese company, RamaDBK Limited. The LC issued by the First Security Islami Bank Limited (FSIBL) against the consignment showed the invoice value at $47,400 (aroundTk 39 lakh).
According to the tariff rules, the tax on import of such vehicles is 366.06 percent. This means the total tax against the invoice value was Tk 1.43 crore.
But a tampered LC was submitted to the customs authorities, lowering the invoice value to $27,400 (about Tk 22.75 lakh). This helped the company dodge tax of around Tk 60 lakh by payingTk 83 lakh in tax.
Atiar Rahman, C&F agent responsible for releasing the consignment, said itwas a mistake.
"We are ready to cooperate with the authorities in all possible ways. The authorities informed us that around Tk 1.5 crore has to be paid in tax against this consignment.
“We have already paid around Tk 90 lakh. We are ready to pay the rest of the money as well as a fine if imposed by the authorities, "he added.
Directorate officials filed a case with the customs house against the importer and the C&F agent on December 3. The case is yet to be disposed of.
Earlier on November 8 last year, Apparel Options Private Limited in Chittagong's Chatteshwari area imported goods worth Tk 1.5 crore in a consignment from China against the Free of Cost (FOC) facility.
The company forged the certification letter issued by the United Commercial Bank Ltd, the commercial invoice, the packing list as well as the sales contract.
In case of FOC, a bank issues a certification letter, notan LC.
Directorate officials on November 15 filed a case with the customs house against the importer and the C&F
agent.
The customs authorities also seized consignments of several other firms for forging bank documents. Those include FT Corporation, AS Enterprise, Sardar Agro Products, Yunus Auto Rice Mill and exporter M/S SM Design.
Himalaya, a firm based in the capital's Motijheel, gave a declaration of importing two elevators worth $9,950 (around Tk 8.25 lakh) from China in December. But examining the container, the customs officials found 175 photocopiers worth around Tk 1 crore, instead of elevators.
The firm doctored all the documents, including the LC and packing list, submitted against the consignment. The Chittagong Express Agency was responsible for releasing the consignment, said several officials at the Audit Investigation and Research Department of the customs house.
Seeking anonymity, a number of
customs officials said that despite their recommendations for taking action against the culprits, the higher authorities let them off the hook by only slapping fines.
As per the Customs Act 1969, the authorities can confiscate goods and cancel the licences of the importers and the C&F agents involved in such forgery. However, this Act is hardly enforced, they pointed out.
Asked, AKM Nuruzzaman, commissioner of the customs house, said they have taken steps to stop such tax evasion and also ensure that the culprits are brought to book.
Talking to this correspondent, National Board of Revenue Member Lutfor Rahman (customs policy) said they have already taken some measures to check such tax dodging.
"We will have a tougher approach towards such fraudulence and hope these measures will yield positive results in the coming days," he added.