Power generation
Your staff correspondent's front-page report of May 11th. stated about the "whitening of white money" by Khaleda Zia! However the statement from an NBR official was otherwise! He stated, and I quote:
"There is no such procedure called 'whitening' black or white money"!
The NBR procedure only provides scope for as quoted "legalising undisclosed income by paying taxes"!
However, the amount of tax and penalty paid on the undisclosed income was Tk.33.87 lakh! This is a fact as this was not denied by Khaleda Zia, or any of her "spokespersons". It is of interest to note the NBR official's statement, and I quote: “Many have made legal their illegitimate income under SRO on several occasions. And NBR could not do anything about it.” Possibly because NBR does not function as an office for identifying and investigating the sources of income declared. Its function is to ensure that the income is properly taxed!
Why the tax was not paid earlier; has been given a good "lame" excuse; and again I quote: "She was not completely aware of income tax laws"! As good an excuse as any, despite her army of advisers of the "ex-Head of State"!
Then ours is not to question why or what the former prime minister did, or did not do! This back payment of taxes, along with her son's "international scandal" with Siemens; which she claimed 'she did not know anything about' has indeed helped to downgrade the country, taking its image down the drain!
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