Return money to Robi
The High Court on Monday ordered the tax administrator to give back the money it took from Robi as fine on charges of illegal imports.
In 2013, the National Board of Revenue fined the mobile phone operator Tk 60 lakh claiming that Robi brought in some products under false declaration in 2010.
Robi filed four cases before the High Court division in 2013 challenging the fine, the telecom operator said in a statement yesterday.
The operator imported some telecom equipment from Ericsson after receiving go-ahead from the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission in 2010.
The customs authority could not prove that Robi imported the equipment without receiving the “No Objection Certificate” from the telecom regulator, according to the statement.
“We had faced negative criticism at the time of the dispute. Now the long-pending verdict proved that Robi is a fully compliant company and has never evaded any tax,” said Shahed Alam, head of corporate and regulatory affairs at Robi.
The High Court has fully acknowledged the rational of Robi's arguments, Alam said. “We urge the customs authority to accept the judgment and move forward.”
Now, the operator hopes the NBR will accept the HC order and give the money back within a short time.
