If taxes are evaded, future generations will be deprived of services: Finance adviser

Urging everyone to pay VAT, Finance Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed said, “If taxes are evaded now, future generations will be deprived of services. You may not immediately benefit from VAT, but indirectly, you will certainly benefit. Therefore, everyone must pay VAT and income taxes.”

He made these remarks at an event organized at the Multipurpose Hall of the Revenue Building in Agargaon, Dhaka, on the occasion of VAT Day on Tuesday morning (December 10).

At the same time, the Finance Advisor emphasized the importance of ensuring both direct and indirect services for taxpayers. He said, “Not everyone will pay taxes at the same rate. Taxes must be paid according to income. The tax on Hajj has been reduced. If VAT is not paid, it will be difficult to provide such services. Ensuring services is the government's responsibility.”

NBR Chairman Abdur Rahman Khan stated that there is currently no opportunity to reduce VAT rates. However, there is an opportunity to increase VAT collection, and that must be done. He pointed out that in many cases, when the public pays VAT, many businesses fail to deposit it properly. A lot of work needs to be done here. To provide convenience to business owners, automation is being implemented so that taxes can be paid from home without visiting the tax office. This is possible.

He also mentioned that the national debt must be reduced so that the burden on future generations is less. For this, VAT and taxes must be paid. He added that remittance workers, by sending earnings from abroad, are playing a role in building the country. There is an opportunity to increase VAT collection, and that must be done. In order to fight state reform and corruption, the eyes of the country’s 180 million people, totaling 340 million eyes, need to be utilized.

Finance Secretary Khairuzzaman Mozumder stated that to increase revenue, tax exemptions must be gradually removed, not all at once.