<div style="text-align: justify; "><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">The National Board of Revenue (NBR) is taking preparations to launch its drive against the corrupt government officials for restoring the pride of the public servants which has been demolished in the course of time.</div><div style="text-align: justify; "><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">According to some NBR top level officials, the revenue collecting authority is working seriously regarding the issue as it got a go ahead signal from the highest level of the government.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">They said that whether the government officials accept or not, it is a dire reality that the image of the government officials in the last 15 years has been on the verge of destruction due to some corrupt public servants.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“As we got the green signal from the top office of the country, it is the time to strike on the corrupt officials,” they said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">According to NBR sources, the regime change due to the revolution of the students and mass people of the country a sentiment is brewing in the govt offices including the NBR to take stern action against all corrupt officials.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Recently, in a press briefing NBR chairman Md Abdur Rahman Khan while responding to a question regarding the drive against all government officials including NBR replied that the revenue collecting authority is taking measures against the corrupt NBR and other government officials.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“We are stepping forward gradually setting our priority,” he told.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A senior official of the NBR while talking to UNB echoed the NBR chairman’s statement and said that to launch any drive against the corrupt government officials it should need a concrete base and documentary support, otherwise the move might be futile which would not bring any positive change in the society.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Recently, the National Board of Revenue issued an order to make online filing of income tax returns (e-Return) mandatory for government employees under the jurisdiction of income tax circles located in Dhaka North, Dhaka South, Gazipur and Narayanganj City Corporation.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The senior official mentioning the move of online return submission for the public servants said that this would be very much beneficial for the NBR to find out the corrupt officials very easily.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“If this online submission continues for the next couple of years it would create a good database for the revenue collecting authority as this database is linked with integrated budget and accounting system (iBAS),” he said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The NBR official mentioned that with one click NBR would be able to get income and expenditure scenario of any government official along with that particular person’s assets.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">During the Awami League regime, a law titled "Public Service (Amendment) Bill-2023' was enacted making prior permission of the authorities concerned compulsory for arresting government employees in criminal cases related to performance of duties.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Law enforcers will need prior permission from the government or the appointing authority to arrest employees of autonomous, legislative and local government bodies before the chargesheet is accepted by a court in criminal cases filed in connection with duty performance.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The law also sought to make it mandatory for the autonomous, legislative and local government bodies to take clearance from the Finance Division over financial expenditures.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The NBR chairman in the press briefing also told that the Central Intelligence Cell (CIC) is working to dig out all information regarding president of the National Board of Revenue's (NBR) Customs, Excise and VAT Appellate Tribunal Matiur Rahman, who faced serious controversy over his wealth.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The controversy regarding Matiur Rahman's wealth surfaced after his son Mushfiqur Rahman Ifat posted a photo of a sacrificial goat on social media and claimed to have bought it for Tk 12 lakh.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This raised questions about the income of this official at this grade (a grade-1) with a basic monthly salary of Tk 78,000.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Later, social media saw photos of Ifat with cars of various brands, and the wealth including flats and resorts of Matiur in various places including Dhaka, Gazipur, and Narsingdhi.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">&nbsp;bnbd24/kh</div>