NBR announces 141 top taxpayers, including tobacco tycoon Kaus Miah
525 more citizens have been named as top taxpayers across the country for 2022
The National Revenue Board on Wednesday announced 141 individuals, including Bangladeshi tobacco tycoon Kaus Miah, as the top taxpayers nationally for the 2022 tax year.
Kaus Miah – the owner of old Dhaka-based Hakimpuri Jarda (chewing tobacco) – has been paying taxes for 63 years. Beating many top businessmen, the elderly citizen had been receiving the revenue board top taxpayer award for the past couple of years.
The revenue board recognition of the tobacco tycoon had been facing objections from anti-tobacco campaigners. This time, the NBR has conferred the top taxpayer recognition to him in the senior citizens' category – unlike the businessmen's category in earlier tax years.
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It may be recalled that in 2019, the businessman had said that he used to keep money here and there, but became "free" for the first time in 1958 after paying taxes and depositing the cash in banks.
"I like to keep my accounts clean," said Kaus Miah.
Apart from the national level recognition, the revenue board announced the names of 525 top taxpayers for tax year 2022 across the country – seven each in city corporation and at the district levels.
In the journalist category, Impress Telefilm Limited (Channel i) Managing Director Faridur Reza Sagar, Daily Star Editor and Publisher Mahfuz Anam, Prothom Alo Editor Matiur Rahman, Channel i Director and Head of News Shykh Seraj and Bangladesh Pratidin Editor Naem Nizam have been named the top taxpayers.
In the print and electronic media category, Mediastar Ltd – a company of Transcom Group; East West Media Group Ltd – the owner of the national daily Kaler Kantho, the Bangladesh Pratidin, the Daily Sun, and banglanews24.com; Shomoy Media Ltd – the owner of Somoy TV; and Times Media Ltd have been selected as the top taxpayers.
In the sportsmen category, cricketer Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal Khan and Quazi Nurul Hasan Sohan have been selected as the top taxpayers.
Mahfuz Ahmed, Mehazabien Chowdhury and Pijush Bandyopadhyay have been announced as the top taxpayers in the actor-actress category. Tahsan Rahman Khan, SD Rubel and Kumar Bishwajit have been recognised as the top taxpayers in the artiste category.
Some 88 citizens have also been named as top taxpayers among the war-injured freedom fighters, disabled, women, youths (below 40 years), businessmen, job holders, doctors, lawyers, engineers, architects, accountants and new taxpayer categories.
In the company category, Standard Chartered Bank local branch, Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited, the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited and Dutch Bangla Bank Limited are among 53 top tax paying companies.
In the telecommunication category, Grameenphone Limited has been selected as the top taxpayer.
Besides, top taxpayers have been selected in the non-banking financial institution, engineering, food and accessories, energy, jute industry, spinning and textiles, pharmaceuticals and chemicals, real estate, readymade garments, leather, farm, local public and private entities and other categories.
Revenue board member Shaheen Akhter said the national-level awards will be handed over to the top tax paying individuals and companies on 28 December at the Officers' Club in Dhaka.
There will be separate events at the local level to hand over the awards to the city corporation and district level top taxpayers.
