Bidi workers urge scrapping Tk2,054 crore tax relief for BAT

The Bangladesh Bidi Workers Federation has protested against the government's remission of Tk2,054 crore tax owed by the British American Tobacco (BAT) company and demanded the recovery of the dues with fines as well as punitive measures against the tax evasion culprits.

Bangladesh Bidi Workers Federation leaders made the demands at a press conference at the National Press Club in the capital on Monday.

The leaders also called on policymakers to ban low-quality cigarettes produced by foreign companies in a bid to protect the bidi industry.

The bidi workers' leaders cited a newspaper article to claim that the Large Taxpayers Unit has relieved British American Tobacco of the Tk2,054 crore in taxes on the recommendation of an unauthorised committee and without approval by the National Board of Revenue. Incidences of evasion and remission of such a huge amount of tax are rare in the country. The authorities must identify and take actions against the corrupt officials complicit in efforts to damage the country's bidi industry and the overall economy.

The "Large Taxpayers Unit, Value Added Tax" has been blamed for different irregularities including extending undue benefits to some businesses through the Alternative Dispute Resolution mechanism. A one-member committee of the revenue board is probing the irregularities. Amid these allegations, the remission of British American Tobacco's Tk2,054 tax alerted the revenue board chairman.

The bidi workers leaders lauded the National Board of Revenue for initiating an investigation into the tax relief and called for bringing the concerned culprits to book under the existing laws and collecting double the amount owed by British American Tobacco. The also called for putting an end to tax evasions and illegal tax rebate facilities enjoyed by the multinational company for protecting the national economy.