The High Court (HC) has asked Grameen Telecom Trust Chairman Dr. Muhammad Yunus to deposit Tk50 crore to file an appeal against the income tax claim made by the National Board of Revenue (NBR) for the tax years 2011 to 2013.
A High Court division bench of Justice Muhammad Khurshid Alam Sarkar and Justice Sardar Md Rashed Jahangir delivered the judgment on February 12th, and the 24-page full text of it was published on Thursday.
“The NBR sent a notice to Grameen Telecom Trust in November 2020, claiming around Taka 250 crore in income tax for the tax years 2011 to 2013. Grameen Telecom Trust challenged the notice in the High Court and filed a writ. After holding a hearing on the writ, the High Court issued a rule, asking to explain why it should not declare the notice illegal,” Assistant Attorney General Barrister Tahmina Poli said.
According to the prosecution, Grameen Telecom Trust, after receiving the notice, pleaded for a tax waiver, citing lack of funds, whereas the trust had around Taka 350-400 crore in its account at that time.
The High Court recently dismissed the writ petition filed by the trust and instructed it to deposit Taka 50 crore first to file an appeal against the NBR notice.