Dhaka, July 3 (BDNEWS) – The government has finally found in the National Board of Revenue (NBR) chief the man it believes is competent to become Bangladesh's first Tax Ombudsman, sources said.
NBR Chairman Khairuzzaman Chowdhury is likely to be appointed to the job by this week or the next, the government sources said.
The possible appointment will cap a year-long frantic search that took Finance Minister M Saifur Rahman to look even to Bangladeshis living in the US for a suitable person for the job.
Since the passage of the bill on July 10, 2005, the minister has been saying that Bangladesh lacks a qualified and honest person for the Tax Ombudsman job. The minister also said he had tried to pick a competent person from the Bangladeshi expatriates in the US, but failed.
According to the Tax Ombudsman Act 2005, the ombudsman will deal with corruption in the revenue sector and is mandated in his four-year term to launch investigation against anyone except the President, the constititional figurehead of the country.
Official sources said the highest authority of the government on Sunday gave the go-ahead to the appointment of the NBR chairman. Once Chowdhury takes over, two advisors -- one for Income Tax and the other for Customs -- will be appointed. The appointment of other staff and setting up of offices in the districts are in progress, sources said.
"I have seen the newspaper reports... I am happy that my name is being discussed," Chowdhury told a private TV channel Monday. His current contract with NBR ends next month.
Appointment of a tax ombudsman was a pledge of the government, specially the finance minister and is aimed at ensuring transparency and accountability in the tax administration.
The Tax Ombudsman will have his office in the present Audit Bhaban, as the office of the Comptroller and Auditor General is moving to a newly constructed building adjacent to Wills Little Flower School in the capital.
Meanwhile, the businesses have long demanded appointment of a tax ombudsman who they can reach for resolution of their problems, the President of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI), Mir Nasir Hossain, told BDNEWS while reacting to the possible appointment of the ombudsman.
"We hope he (Tax Ombudsman) will maintain neutrality in order to safeguard both the taxpayers' and government's interests," he said.
BDNEWS/1641 hrs
