3 mobile operators pay Tk8,734cr to Google, FB
The mobile phone operators are Grameenphone, Banglalink and Robi
Three mobile operators in the country paid around Tk8,734 crore to Facebook and Google in the last five years.
The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) said this in a report it submitted to the High Court (HC) on Thursday.
The mobile phone operators are Grameenphone, Banglalink and Robi.
The BTRC submitted the report to the HC bench of Justices Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury and Justice Md Ashraful Kamal.
Advocate AKM Alamgir Parvez submitted the report on behalf of the regulator.
The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has submitted another report in this regard. The HC, however, being not happy with the report, ordered the revenue authority to resubmit the report by October 19.
Besides, the court also asked the NBR to explain what measures it had taken up to collect tax from the internet-based service providers.
Earlier on April 12, 2018, the HC directed the government to realize all sorts of taxes including VAT on internet-based service providers including Google, YouTube and Facebook.
Secretaries to finance, law, post-telecommunication and information ministries, Bangladesh Bank governor, NBR chairman, BTRC chairman, Newspapers Owners’ Association of Bangladesh (NOAB) president, Google, Facebook, Yahoo and YouTube authorities were asked to reply to the rule within four weeks.
Earlier on April 9, 2018, six Supreme Court (SC) lawyers filed a writ against the telecom companies on charge of tax evasion.
On April 7, 2018, the SC lawyers served a legal notice to the government regarding ‘tax evasion’ of Google, Yahoo, Amazon, YouTube, Facebook and other online companies.
The lawyers then set a 24-hour ultimatum before the government to initiate necessary steps otherwise, they said, they would seek help from the HC.