NBR unfreezes Robi’s accounts after VAT pay assurance

Hours within a Supreme Court order today, Robi managed to unfreeze its bank accounts after agreeing to pay due VAT to National Board of Revenue (NBR).

Robi-Axiata, Bangladesh’s second largest mobile operator, agreed to pay the Tk 18.72 crore VAT, Matiur Rahman, commissioner of Large Taxpayers Unit, NBR, told The Daily Star.

"We have sent a letter to the banks for unfreezing the bank accounts of Robi," he said.

Earlier today, the Supreme Court stayed for three days, the High Court order that cleared the way for Robi to operate its bank accounts – thereby freezing its bank accounts again.

A four-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain passed the order following a petition filed by the government seeking stay on the High Court order.

Following a writ-petition, the High Court on February 27 stayed the National Board of Revenue’s decision to freeze the bank account of Robi-Axiata on allegations of dodging of Tk 18.72 crore VAT.

The government filed a petition with the Supreme Court on Wednesday seeking a stay on the High Court order.

Robi had “evaded” tax by not paying in due time, said the Large Taxpayers Unit, a field office of the NBR. Subsequently, it asked banks to freeze the accounts of the mobile phone operator for three days.