Tk 600Cr Income Tax : SC asks HC to rehear Grameen Kalyan’s petitions

The Supreme Court yesterday asked its High Court Division to hold further hearing on two writ petitions that challenged the NBR orders asking Grameen Kalyan to pay around Tk 600 crore as income tax.

The HC bench, led by Justice Muhammad Khurshid Alam Sarkar, has been ordered to hold the rehearing and dispose of the petitions in three months.

A five-member bench of the Appellate Division of the SC, headed by Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan, passed the order after hearing two leave to appeal petitions filed by the National Board of Revenue (NBR) against the HC verdict on the writ petitions.

The four other judges of the bench are Justice M Enayetur Rahim, Justice Md Ashfaqul Islam, Justice Md Abu Zafor Siddique and Justice Jahangir Hossain Selim.

The NBR reassessed Grameen Kalyan's income tax for the tax years 2011-12 to 2016-17 and asked Grameen Kalyan to pay the amount.

Disposing of the two writ petitions, the HC bench led by Justice Muhammad Khurshid Alam Sarkar last year allowed the Grameen Kalyan to lodge an appeal with the appellate authority of the NBR challenging its reassessment of the income tax.

Grameen Kalyan is a non-profitable and charitable organisation founded by Nobel laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus.

The NBR in its appeal said Grameen Kalyan has filed the review petition with a declaration that the organisation will not lodge any appeal against the reassessment.

So, the HC has no authority to allow Grameen Kalyan to move an appeal against the reassessment order, Assistant Attorney General Tahmina Poly told The Daily Star, citing the NBR's appeal.

Attorney General AM Amin Uddin appeared for the NBR while Sarder Jinnat Ali argued for Grameen Kalyan during the hearing.