Anisur Rahman . Barisal
Most of the shops in the Barisal City Corporation areas are yet to start using electronic cash registers two days into the deadline.
The system is currently applicable for 10 selected sectors, including hotels, restaurants and fast food shops, sweetmeat shops, furniture sales centres, beauty parlours, all sales outlets of luxurious goods, metropolitan shopping malls, department stores, general stores, and big and medium wholesale and retail shops, said Anwar Hossain, superintendent of Barisal customs circle.
On other hand, it was found that shop owners and staff of a number of shops and markets in Barisal city were not only unaware about the system but some of them alleged officials of the revenue board had not still supplied them the ECR machine to introduce the system.
Abdur Razzak, vice president of Barisal Chamber of Commerce and Industries, said most owners and staff of the shops were not so well educated and financially competent to operate ECR.
The BCCI leader suggested that either the customs department should supply the ECR machines on credit refundable in easy instalments or the deadline for introducing ECR should be deferred for six to 12 months.
Sudam and Sanjiib Ghosh, co-owners of a chain of famous sweetmeat shops in the city, said they contacted the customs officials to get ECR machines but failed to receive any response.
Taib Ali, owner of Bismillah Restaurant and Deluxe Residential Hotel, Amal and Jibon Saha, co-proprietors of Mohona General Store, and Abdur Rahman, owner of Century First Food, said they had the same experience.
Barisal customs super however denied the accusation and blamed unawareness of the businessmen about ECR. He said a motivation meeting with the businessmen of the city was held on December 24, 2008, attended by MA Aziz, joint commissioner of customs of Khulna region.
Hotel Athena, Ali International and BFG Restaurant have already introduced the ECR and an inspector would the appointed very soon to monitor execution of the system, he said, adding the shop owners could collect ECR machines from Khulna regional customs office by paying Tk 29,000 per machine.
The National Board of Revenue has made the system compulsory in order to stop leakage in and evasion of payment of value added tax by business organisations.
The revenue board initially has brought some 3,000 selected business institutions in the six city corporation areas under the electronic cash registration system from January 1, 2009.
The system will be expanded to the district-level from August 1.
Courtesy: newagebd.com
