The High Court on Sunday cleared the way for the National Board of Revenue to claim Tk 663 crore as taxes from Grameen Kalyan, and firms of Nobel laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus, in five income tax assessment years from 2012 to 2017.
The bench of Justice Muhammad Khurshid Alam Sarkar and Justice SM Maniruzzaman passed the order after disposing of a writ petition filed in 2017 by Grameen Kalyan鈥檚 managing director Abul Kalam Mohammad Mohiuddin Chowdhury challenging the聽 legality of the assessment with hearing the company鈥檚 statement.聽聽聽聽聽聽
The court in the verdict asked Grameen Kalyan to pay the outstanding Tk 663 crore in installments.
Appearing for Grameen Kalyan, lawyer Abdullah Al Mamun sought deferral of the verdict considering the students鈥� ongoing violent movement, which turned into a one-point demand for resignation of prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
Mamun also refused to pay the dues in question in installments.
The court suggested Mamun to appeal to the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court if he felt aggrieved by the verdict.聽
Grameen Kalyan鈥檚 another lawyer Sarder Jinnat Ali argued that the NBR鈥檚 orders for reassessment of income tax from company, was illegal as it submitted its income tax time to time.
The NBR demanded fresh income tax from Yunus and his founded social business entities after reopening and re-assessment of the companies鈥� tax files in 2017.聽聽聽聽聽聽聽
Yunus, also the chair of Grameen Telecom, has been facing more than 170 cases, most of which are related to alleged violation of rights of workers.
He was sentenced to six months鈥� imprisonment by the Third Dhaka Labour Court on January 1 along with his three Grameen Telecom colleagues in a case filed by the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments on September 9, 2021, for violating labour law by Grameen Telecom Company.
Yunus and his colleagues remained on bail pending hearing of their appeal against the sentences.