Non-resident Bangladeshis (NRBs) urged the government to keep their hard-earned money out of the tax net to encourage remittance of their earnings home.
The Centre for Non Resident Bangladeshis (Centre for NRB), a non-profit research organisation, made the plea to the National Board of Revenue (NBR) on Tuesday.
A delegation led by M S Shekil Chowdhury, chairman of the organisation, met NBR Chairman Mosharraf Hossain Bhuyan and made the plea.
When contacted, Mr Chowdhury said they suggested that the authority concerned keep remittances, sent home through official channels, out of the tax net.
With this facility, the country's remittance inflow will increase, he observed.
The expatriates will also be encouraged to send their hard-earned money home through the legal channel, he added.
They also recommended allowing NRBs to submit their returns from their job-destination countries.
They also suggested tax cards for the NRBs through the Bangladesh missions abroad.
The taxpayer NRBs should be given special awards, the organisation for NRBs suggested.
Services should be rendered to them on a priority basis at the Bangladesh missions, it added.
They also proposed launch of an awareness campaign in different job destinations to help them overcome the tax phobia.
Through such initiatives, the number of NRB taxpayers and their financial activities will increase in the country, the organisation believed.
More than 10 million Bangladeshis are working abroad.
Without their involvement, any development initiative cannot be materialised, the organisation said.
