Revenue mobilisation and tax evasion in Bangladesh

From the Equity and Justice Working Group Bangladesh:

“No exclusive research or study (has been) conducted so far in Bangladesh to identify what amount of money has been evaded the MNCs out of the payable taxes.”

They add that the Bangladeshi finance minister has estimated the size of the shadow economy as exceeding 48 percent of GDP; while separate research estimates it at closer to 37 percent. Proper tax collection on multinational tax dodging could increase the ratio of direct taxes in the total tax take, and release the pressure of  indirect taxes on ordinary people: currently, it says, 75 percent of all tax revenues is collected as the indirect tax, with Value Added Tax (VAT) as the key source of revenue.

With a focus on multinational telecoms companies and their cushy deals.

Read the rest of the report here.