Pakistan, Bangladesh agree to cooperate on tax dispute resolution
Wire desk byline Sourced from Xinhua, Dawn, Arab News, Anadolu and Minute Mirror. Translated and abridged by the GSRRA Desk.
The National Board of Revenue Bangladesh, the country’s tax agency, and the Federal Tax Ombudsman (FTO) of Pakistan have agreed to work together in the areas of tax dispute resolution, taxpayer facilitation and a conducive tax environment for trade and investment.
A delegation from the National Board of Revenue (NBR), Bangladesh, called on the Federal Tax Ombudsman (FTO), Zafar-ul-Haq Hijazi, at the Federal Tax Ombudsman Secretariat, Islamabad, on Tuesday.
The delegation was led by Md. Lutful Azeem and comprised Abul Kalam Kaikobad, Member (Tax Administration & Human Resource Management); Barrister Mutasim Billah Faruque, First Secretary (Tax Policy); Mohammad Abdur Rakib, Commissioner of Taxes, Income Tax Intelligence & Investigation Unit; Md. Jafar Imam, First Secretary (NBR); Dewan Mohammad Gholam Kibria, Second Secretary (International Agreements and Opinions); and Press Counsellor Tayub Ali.
Welcoming the delegation, Hijazi expressed keen interest in fostering sustained and meaningful cooperation between the two countries.
He apprised the delegation of the vision and future priorities for the Federal Tax Ombudsman institution, emphasising accountability, institutional efficiency, and effective resolution of tax-related grievances of taxpayers and expressed optimism that continued engagement would further strengthen bilateral relations on the subject.
During the meeting, Advisor (Customs), Dr Arslan Subuctageen, delivered a comprehensive presentation on the functional framework of the FTO, outlining its mandate, objectives, procedural mechanisms, and current performance indicators, with particular emphasis on transparency, efficiency, and taxpayer facilitation.
The discussions also covered avenues for future collaboration between the National Board of Revenue of Bangladesh and the Federal Tax Ombudsman institution, especially in the areas of tax dispute resolution, institutional cooperation, and best practices, aimed at fostering a fair, transparent, and efficient tax environment conducive to trade and investment.
Reference Link:- https://www.brecorder.com/news/40399055
Zamir Ahmed Awan is the founder and Chair of the Global Silk Route Research Alliance, a think tank in Islamabad. He studied engineering at Shanghai University in the 1980s, and years later he went back to China as Pakistan's science counsellor in Beijing, from 2010 until 2016, working on science and higher education cooperation between the two countries.…
