BATB record tax evasion

The multinational tobacco giant, British American Tobacco Bangladesh (BATB) has evaded taxes worth Tk. 1924 crore by falsifying price slabs of its two brands (Bristol and Pilot) from 2009 to 2013 has turned into a negative record, reads a report from the Daily Bonik Barta on January 9, 2014. The National Board of revenue (NBR) has issued letter to BATB to submit the evaded amount into government treasury after the forgery came into light. A couple of NBR officials said that BATB has long been evading taxes without any trace, but the recent case bears the testimony of the endless dishonesty by the company. They also said that if the due tax is not paid, bank account of the company will be frozen along with other legal measures. Finance Ministry sources said that the company evaded the tax by declaring a false price slab for the brands saying that the brands fit in lower slab, but in fact they belong to the middle. However, from the very beginning, tobacco control communities have been suggesting to remove price slabs of cigarettes for being ineffective in checking tobacco. At latest, the NBR urges the Finance Ministry to adopt concluding steps against BATB even though the Minister owns an established intimacy with it. So, let's wait for the responses from the Minister against the tobacco giant!