ActionAid barred from holding discussion on tax

ActionAid Bangladesh could not hold a discussion on corporate tax evasion and a cultural event in the city yesterday for not securing police permission.

The international non-governmental organisation was scheduled to bring to a close its day-long campaign against tax dodging by multinationals and corporates as well as illegal capital flight through the discussion and a cultural show at the Rabindra Sarobar in Dhanmondi. 

But it had to wrap up before the event even started for not having police clearance, said AAB Country Director Farah Kabir.

“We sent letter to the authorities but we did not get enough information that there has been a change in the rules of use of Rabindra Sarobar. We would have taken all permissions if we had known in advance about all the permissions required to hold the programme.”

AAB was allowed to hold programmes at Rabindra Sarobar previously and it followed the same procedure this time. “Rules can change, and we would have taken steps if we had been informed in advance about the change. We have the right to know if there is any change to rules,” she added.

Contacted, Abdul Latif, officer-in-charge of Dhanmondi police station, said AAB was allowed to hold rallies earlier in the day.

He said the NGO had wanted to organise a concert.  “Such event pulls a lot of crowd, so there is an issue of security.” 

Permission from the commissioner of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police is required for holding a concert in the city, which the organisation did not have, he said.

Earlier in the day, the AAB held rallies and demonstrations at 20 points as part of its campaign against corporate tax dodging.

The event took place at a time the names of Bangladeshi companies and individuals came up in the Paradise Papers, a global investigation into the offshore activities of some of the world's most powerful people and companies.

Kabir said the government should take actions against illegal fund transfer.

A parliamentary committee should be formed to bring back the siphoned money, she said, adding that the government should also take actions against tax evasions by multinational companies.

AAB, in a report in 2016, said Bangladesh's inability to levy withholding taxes on dividend payments result in a revenue loss of $85 million annually.