Dhaka: The High Court has ordered Grameen Kalyan, a not-for-profit social business company founded by former interim government Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus, to pay Tk 666 crore in taxes. This decision comes after the court dismissed a writ petition filed by Grameen Kalyan challenging the National Board of Revenue's (NBR) demand for taxes covering five assessment years.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the HC bench of Justice Md Mozibur Rahman Miah and Justice Rezaul Karim ruled against Grameen Kalyan. The legal team for Grameen Kalyan, comprising Barrister Abdullah Al Mamun and Barrister Fida M Kamal, plans to appeal the decision to the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court once they receive the full text of the judgment.
Deputy Attorney General Abdus Samad Azad, representing the state, stated that Grameen Kalyan and Grameen Telecom had an agreement in which Grameen Telecom would provide financial support to Grameen Kalyan. In exchange, Grameen Telecom was to allocate 42.50 percent of its profit from dividends on its shares in Grameen Kalyan. The income tax authorities, however, reopened Grameen Kalyan's tax file, finding that tax had not been deducted at source from the income received from Grameen Telecom.
The dispute was initially brought to the tax commissioner through a revision petition, leading to Grameen Kalyan filing a writ petition with the High Court. Upon reviewing the case, the court upheld the tax department's decision.
The NBR's demand for Tk 666 crore pertains to assessment years 2012-13 through 2016-17. Grameen Kalyan had filed two separate writ petitions in 2017, contesting the NBR's tax demands. The court issued rules in the cases following preliminary hearings. After a reassessment, the tax commissioner concluded that the amount was payable, which Grameen Kalyan disputed through additional writ petitions.
The High Court initially rejected these writ petitions on August 4, 2024, but following a change of government on August 5, 2024, the court withdrew the judgment on August 29, redirecting the case to the Chief Justice. The case has since been assigned to a new bench.