Tax evaders on line of fire

This is good thinking. We would like to see this translated into reality not just by way of enforcing financial accountability but also to din the right message into the ears of big tax dodgers that their political clout would no longer give them any immunity to action. Let's not forget, the ultimate test for the move's success lies in steering it to its logical conclusion with an iron hand. For, if all the big defaulters, regardless of their influence rating, have not been sucked into the dragnet, the lucky escapees will remain models for perpetuating the default culture.

It is worth noting that the spilling of the beans of big loan defaulters by naming them through newspaper ads has not led to any sizable recovery of outstanding bank loans.

Tap here to add The Daily Star as a trusted source

This experience should stand us in good stead; one could perhaps assume with a fair degree of plausibility that the upper halves of the loan repayment shirkers and the tax evaders are almost inter-changeable characters.

The supreme financial irony in Bangladesh is that whilst we are at the bottom of poverty-stricken countries, our ranking in terms of tax evasion is at the very top in the world. In a country of 140 million people our tax-base is ludicrously as wafer-fragile as well under a million.

What most be recognised as key to achieving higher levels of revenue collection is elimination of collusive corruption between tax officials and dishonest businessmen.