The VAT intelligence directorate has filed a case against online shopping platform Eorange.shop alleging value-added tax (VAT) evasion.

The case was filed under the VAT and supplementary duty act yesterday, according to a statement of the VAT Audit, Intelligence & Investigation Directorate under the National Board of Revenue (NBR).

On June 8, a team from the directorate conducted a drive at the Gulshan office of Eorange.shop in Dhaka and found evidence of it not paying VAT amounting to Tk 13 lakh, it said.

The company bought products or services worth Tk 245.75 crore and earned a commission of Tk 3.88 crore by selling those at Tk 249.63 crore, read the statement.

Eorange.shop was supposed to pay Tk 19.39 lakh in VAT at the rate of 5 per cent on the commission but it hid the actual sales information and paid only Tk 6.23 lakh, it said.

The report of the case was sent to Customs, Excise and VAT Commissionerate in Dhaka North zone for taking legal action and recovery of evaded VAT.

This correspondent tried to reach officials concerned of Eorange.shop over the phone for comments but they did not respond.

Meanwhile, a Dhaka court on August 23 placed Eorange.shop Chief Executive Officer Md Amanullah Chowdhury and former owners Sonia Mehjabin and her husband Masukur Rahman on a five-day remand in a case.

The trio was arrested on August 17, hours after customers filed the case claiming that Eorange.shop embezzled around Tk 1,100 crore by not giving delivery of their products.