Land revenue gets boost in Barisal

The amount of collected land revenue has increased in Barisal district by around Tk 9 crore to Tk 78.87 crore last year compared to the previous year, according to officials.
The revenue got a boost as the authorities realised fees which were earlier evaded by changing the categories of land in papers, they told The Daily Star.
A total of Tk 69.52 crore of revenue was collected from registration of 52,274 deeds for purchasing and selling land in 10 upazilas in 2012.
The amount increased to Tk 78.87 crore through registering 48,636 documents in 2013, said Abu Talib Khan, Barisal district land registrar.
Asadul Islam, Barisal sadar upazila land registrar, said 10,542 documents in 2009 and 15,048 in 2010, 15,048 in 2011, 17,361 in 2012, and 15,691 in 2013 were registered in the sub-registrar office.
Ashafur Rahman, Barisal sadar upazila assistant commissioner of land, said revenue was fixed on the basis of valuation of land in terms of its categories and locations.
Both the sellers and buyers have jointly collaborated to evade taxes by changing categories of agricultural land into wetland, housing land into agricultural land while transferring the ownership of land, he added.
Acknowledging the fact, Ashafur said from April 2013 to November 2013, his office collected Tk 18.68 lakh out of Tk 25.4 lakh by disposing of 122 out of 137 cases of alleged stamp deficit in the sadar upazila.
At least Tk 50 core of revenue has been evaded in the last ten years, the official estimated.