Councillors themselves do not pay holding tax in Dhaka north city

City corporation councillors talk about strategies on how to expand holding tax at various meetings and seminar to increase the corporation’s revenue, take various steps and encourage city dwellers to pay the tax, yet many of them do not pay the holding tax properly.

There are 54 wards in Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and collection of holding tax is yet to be started in 18 new wards while holding tax of the councillors of 32 out of 36 old wards remain unpaid.

Many councillors live in multi-storey buildings, yet they show they are living in tin-sheds or semi-pucca one-storey houses.

DNCC revenue officials said nobody dares to say anything to councillors over holding tax and officials also cannot pressure them.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, DNCC mayor Atiqul Islam said it is very unfortunate that councillors do not pay holding taxes.

If the councillors, who are the elected representative, do not pay holding tax, how would they collect the tax from city dwellers? Tax will be collected by sending letters to the councillors not paying the tax, Atiqul Islam said.

As of 2022-23, over Tk 2.38 million in taxes remain unpaid from councillors. Besides, several councillors paid no holding tax in various times over the past 19 fiscal years.

Taimur Reza, councillor of ward no. 36, has the highest amount of dues in holding taxes. He lives on the 2nd floor of a 5-storey building, house 368/1 in Madhubag area of the capital’s Shantinagar adjacent to the Hatirjeel. His mother Sakhina Begum is the owner of the building and that house has holding tax due for 19 years amounting Tk 850,000.

Councillor Taimur Reza could not be reached for comment.

Name of ward no. 18 councillor, Zakir Hossain, comes at the second as he has Tk 706,000 dues in holding tax for his house no. Ka-23, Kalachandpur, Gulshan for over 8 years. He paid no holding tax since he became councillor in 2015.

Zakir Hossain claimed his uncle looks over the matter of holding tax and his uncle paid the tax money to an employee of the city corporation’s revenue department. Since that employee did not record it in file, the tax was shown unpaid. Now the tax is paid, he said.

Abu Taher, who is the councillor at ward 10, mentioned house no. 21, Goidertek, Darussalam, Mirpur as his address. Visiting the house, this correspondent found that it is a five-storey building. Yet, the house has been shown as a one-storey building in the holding tax and it has Tk 2,614 dues in tax since 2020-21 fiscal.

The councillor lives on the ground floor of the house with his family and his younger brother on the first floor. He however, claimed the house is yet to get a holding number.

Abu Taher told Prothom Alo, “Holding tax was not paid and he will pay it.” He asked this correspondent what was wrong with that. He also said the house in which he is currently living in is not house 21. He, however, could not tell the right holding number of the building.

DNCC ward 12 councillor Murad Hossain lives in a three-storey building, but the house has been shown as “semi-pucca tin-shed house” in holding tax documents and it has Tk 3,656 dues in tax since 2018-19 fiscal. He paid no tax since he became the councillor.

DNCC ward 7 councillor Tofazzel Hossain did not live in the house as per the address he provided in tax file and that is house no. 6, road no. 20, Rupnagar Residential Area, Mirpur whereas he lives in house no. 2 on the same road.

Locals said the councillor owns house no. 2, 4, and 6 on road no. 6 and the two-storied house no. 8 is used as the councillor’s office. The house no. 6 is a tin-shed semi-pucca house and has been rented out, and it has Tk 9,148 dues in tax since 2020-21 fiscal.

DNCC ward 2 councillor Sazzad Hossain showed house no. 50, road no. 19, block D, section 12, Mirpur as his addressed in the affidavit. This house has been shown as a residential two-storied tin-shed house in tax file and that has Tk 5,228 dues in holding tax since 2020-21 fiscal.

Visiting the area, this correspondent found there is a refrigerator-repairing shop and a studio in the front part of the house.

Sources said councillor Sazzad Hossain lives in house no. 17-18, road no. 17 of block C and his father-in-law owns this house.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, civil society platform Shushasoner Janno Nagorik (Shujan) secretary Badiul Alam Majumder said public representatives are busy in personal gain and interest, and this is happening everywhere.

Public representatives also get impunity even after getting involved in various crimes using these posts and positions, he added.

This report appeared in the print and online edition of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten in English by Hasanul Banna