DHAKA: The UK-based multinational company British American Tobacco (BAT), following their misdeeds of bribing, tax evasion and other financial scandals in other countries, has allegedly committed same offence in Bangladesh.
Now question has been raised whether the company has laundered money after evading revenue tax of thousand crores money.
Despite court order, they have not yet paid Tk1,924 crores as tax and rather have been trying to influence a government quarter to evade it. The British High Commissioner in Bangladesh Alison Blake has also been involved in this matter violating diplomatic norms.
Former Bangladesh Head of Mission in Myanmar Major (retd) Emdadul Islam said that “The attempts that British High Commissioner has made was beyond diplomatic norms and tantamount to defying the laws of Bangladesh. How a mission chief can lobby for a company doing illegal activities here?”
In Bangladesh, the company is known as British American Company-Bangladesh (BATB). UK-based Ralle Invest Company has the share of 72.91 percent in BATB. Other foreign investment is 14.5 percent whereas independent and government share is 1.47 percent.
It appears in the observation of National Board of Revenue (NBR) that BATB markets ‘Bristol’ and ‘Pilot’ brand cigarettes at a cheap rate. This cheap rate strategy has deprived the government revenue tax amounting to Tk1,924 crores. And it is apprehended that 87 percent share of that tax money amounting to Tk1,673 crores may gone outside the country.
BATB has been marketing Bristol and Pilot at a lesser price since 2009. It resulted that in last eight years, more than Tk13,000 crores have been laundered, it is apprehended.
Several sources including BBC have also unearthed the irregularities of BATB in foreign lands. It was also published in leading British daily The Guardian.
Taking source of the BBC report, South African financial website ‘Moneyweb’ has cited that the company allegedly has paid 26 thousand dollars as bribe through their lobbyist in Ruanda, Burundi and the Islands of Comoros in 2015.
Matiur Rahman, commissioner of Large Taxpayers unit of National Board of Revenue (NBR), told, ‘The court has given order in our favor but BATB has appealed to the higher court, halting the process. Actually the Bristol brand is equivalent to higher quality Derby. But, with ill motive, they took approval for Bristol as a low-quality brand and marketed it.”
Former President of Bangladesh Economic Association (BEA) Chittagong University faculty Dr. Mainul Islam said that the BATB cleverly took away their profit out of the country. They evade taxes by importing materials from foreign countries showing inflated price and showed less profit. They have started the ill deed in Bangladesh too which is termed ‘Transfer Pricing’.
This company is gaining huge profit from their unfair deal and created an uneven competition for the local companies.
They rule the third world countries in this way. They also allure the farmers in distinguished ways.
On November 30, 2015, BBC ‘Panorama’ program disclosed some valuable documents about how BATC bribed the officials in East Africa.
However, BATC then promised to BBC that they won’t commit any unethical business anywhere and shelter any corruption.
However, the health organizations expressed utter dissatisfaction when Alison Blake favored BATB in Bangladesh to prove it innocent. They claimed that the ill attempt of the High Commission has breached the principles of World Health organization.
In 2015, the health experts of Pakistan have accused the British High commissioner Philip Burton for lobbying in favor of BATC.
In a report published on March 20 in the same year, ‘The Nation’ newspaper of Pakistan stated that Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) of UK has termed the activities of BATC against their principles.
A report run by South East Asia Tobacco Control Alliance published on August 23 said that BATC illegally invested 25 crore Malaysian ringgit while sponsoring the Commonwealth Games in 1998 in Malaysia.
A report published in The Guardian on November 16, 2014 said that BATC was fined 6 lakh euro on charge of supplying huge bulks of tobaccos in the lesser-duty European regions.
BDST: 1245 HRS, SEP 18, 2017
SJN/SMS/SI
