Chairman of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) Md Abdur Rahman Khan on Saturday said it is difficult to establish good governance in tax management if political will is not reflected properly.

“Due to the political will of the current government, decision-making in establishing good governance in tax administration is becoming easier,” he said while speaking at a programme organised by a shadow parliament on tax management reforms at FDC in the capital.

The NBR chairman said more tax exemptions are being given than the amount of tax collected. “We have taken the initiative to amend the tax laws.”

In this connection, he mentioned that the government will no longer be able to grant tax exemptions at its own choice. “In the national interest, only Parliament can consider the issue of tax exemption through a finance bill,” the NBR chief said.

He also acknowledged a collective failure to curb under-invoicing and over-invoicing in import and export activities.

“In the current era, the price of a product in any part of the world can be known at the touch of a button.Banks and customs can be sure about the price by checking and verifying this issue while opening a letter of credit,” he said.

Abdur Rahman said mispricing in import-export harms compliant businesses and genuine taxpayers, with corruption remaining a major obstacle in the tax system. “Corruption in the tax system can be prevented only by establishing accountability and good governance,” he added.

He also said there is no tax education in Bangladesh. Only a couple of subjects are included in higher education. Considering the importance of tax education, it is necessary to include tax in every field of primary, secondary and higher education.

Organised by Debate for Democracy, the competition was presided over by its Chairman Hasan Ahmed Chowdhury Kiron.