| The country's first ever Tax-Ombudsman Khairuzzaman Chowdhury retires today - exactly four years after he assumed office. It is however not clear who will succeed him.
Official sources say at least two or three names are doing the rounds for the post of the next Tax Ombudsman. Principal Secretary in the Prime Minister's Office and former chairman of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) Abdul Karim, and former Advisor (Indirect Tax) of the Tax Ombudsman's office Dr Rashid ul Ahsan Chowdhury are in the race.
Abdul Karim is presently the principal secretary in the PMO working on a contract with the Government. Rashid ul Ahsan Chowdhury has just retired last week from the Office of the Tax-Ombudsman.
Advisor (direct Tax) of the Tax Ombudsman office A S Zahir' is also in the fray. He will be retiring in October 2010.
The Ombudsman Act 2005, stipulates that the Government appoints someone with at least 20 years experience in the field of direct or indirect taxation. The post has the same status as the Justice of higher court.
Meanwhile talking to The Independent yesterday, Khairuzzaman Chowdhury has expressed his displeasure with the way his succession has been handled by the Government.
"We have not succeeded fully in rooting out corruption and improving the transparency in the tax departments", he added.
The Tax Ombudsman Act, 2005 came into force on 12th July 2005. The Tax Ombudsman officially started functioning from 9th July, 2006.
The aim of the office is to identify major causes of maladministration and recommend appropriate steps to the National Board of Revenue for eradication of such malpractices. But in the last four years of its functioning there have been very few complaints lodged with the Ombudsman.
The outgoing Ombudsman Khairuzzaman has blamed the weak legal framework provided to his office which makes it very difficult for him to prosecute complaints.
The Ombudsman claimed that he had tried his best to make the law appropriate but government has paid no heed to it. Infact no less then the Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhit has suggested that the office of Ombudsman be abolished, though this year the Ombudsman's office has got a decent budgetary allocation.
The Ombudsman says if the NBR was willing to cooperate, the office of Ombudsman could become effective.
Khairuzzaman Chowdhury is however hopeful that the government will eventually initiate measures make the office effective for the benefit of the common people.
the independent on 8th July 2010
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ANIS ALAMGIR
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