718 fake TIN using businessmen detected
The National Board of Revenue is going to take stern action against the users of fake taxpayer’s identification number amid an allegation that many business firms and individuals have been using false TINs, officials said. The revenue board has recently formed a committee to recommend what kinds of measures can be taken against the fake e-TIN users, they said. They said that the firms and individuals either used fake e-TINs or e-TINs of other persons to obtain different services from the government and private organisations where submission of TINs made mandatory.
Amid the allegation, the revenue board has recently detected 718 fake e-TIN users, all of them are members of the Bangladesh Electrical Association, according to an NBR investigation report.
Of them, 448 used e-TINs of other persons and 270 used false e-TINs to become voters for the election of the association that was held early December, the report said.
Around 20 per cent businessmen of the association were found fake e-TIN holders as the association has 3,655 valid voters for the election.
Besides, taxmen at field offices often detect such fake e-TIN users scrutinising documents submitted by people to different organisations for getting services, a senior official of the revenue board said.
Though there are provisions of penalty and imprisonment in the Income Tax Ordinance-1984 for using fake TINs, any concentrated effort had rarely been taken earlier mainly due to a relaxed position taken by the taxmen
to enforce the provisions, he said.
Now, the NBR has formed committee, headed by additional income tax commissioner of the zone-11 Ahmed Ullah, which will decide what types of punishment can be taken against the fake e-TIN users, he said.
Though the committee has been formed mainly to decide the fate of 718 businessmen from the electrical sector, its recommendations will also be considered for future action, NBR officials said.
It is very alarming that such a huge number of businessmen from a single association use fake e-TINs, they said.
The committee will submit its report by January 15, they added.
According to the article 124A of the ordinance, deputy commissioners of taxes may impose a penalty up to Tk 20,000 for using fake TIN or TIN of another person.
Article 165A of the ordinance said that a person would face three years of imprisonment or up to Tk 50,000 fine or both for continuous and deliberate use of fake e-TIN.
NBR officials said that implementation of the provision related to imprisonment required long legal procedures and also time-consuming and that was why there was no record of taking such step by the revenue board.
The amount of penalty should be increased to prevent offence of using fake e-TINs, they said.
They, however, said that use of fake e-TINs or e-TINs of other persons would be eliminated when the revenue board would allow service providing agencies to verify the authenticity of e-TINs.
-With New Age input
