Minister for Finance AMA Muhith on Wednesday told Parliament that the current political situation in the country and ongoing global economic recesses have fallen direct and negative impacts on realising of government revenue, investment, import and export trade.
“Resulting in achieving of revenue target fixed by the government will not be possible. The government has taken steps to re-fix the revenue target considering the overall situation,” he said while replying to a question from ruling party lawmaker Mustafizur Rahman Chowdhury.The Finance Minister identified at least 10 reasons behind not achievement of target. The reasons include realizing of lesser amount of income return and other taxes, realizing of lesser amount of VAT from different service sectors including mobile phone, bank, insurance company, hotel, internet and leasee comparing to last fiscal.
The reasons also include realizing of lesser amount from tax at source at import and export levels, significant reduction of import due to development in the political arena and realizing of lesser amount of VAT from bidi, cigarette, medicine, beverage, petroleum gas, other gases, coconut oil, MM rod and tiles sectors.
Replying to another question, Muhith said the government has been conducting a survey to increase the number of taxpayers.
“The survey activities have been started in February and will continue till December this year. With this programme it will be possible to identify about two lakh new taxpayers,” he said.
The minister said names and salary statements of officials and employees of different private sector companies and institutions including private universities, colleges, schools, private hospitals, diagnostic centres, TV channels and hotels have been collecting to net them as income taxpayers. – Staff Reporter
