The power department of Bangladesh has urged the National Board of Revenue (NBR) to eliminate the provision of deducting tax at source at a rate of 6 % on payments made to companies engaged in power distribution for power purchases. The department claims that this tax deduction results in an annual loss of approximately 2,000 to 2,400 crore taka.
According to sources within the power department, the revenue generated from this tax deduction constitutes a negligible portion, less than 5.5%, of the National Board of Revenue’s revenue target. Therefore, removing this tax would not significantly impact government revenue. However, it would reduce the subsidy burden in the power sector, thereby decreasing the need for loans or bonds to fund government subsidies.