An intelligence team has realised Tk 5.2 million in evaded Value- Added Tax (VAT) from upstart online shop Alesha Mart in a raid on its outlet in Dhaka's Banani, officials said.
The e-commerce business, having VAT-registration no-003482464-0101, didn't deposit VAT on their commission on online product deliveries, the VAT audit, intelligence and investigation directorate said in a statement Tuesday.
On June 8, the wing, under the National Board of Revenue (NBR), conducted the raid led by its assistant director Munware Mursalin on specific information of VAT evasion.
"The VAT officials confiscated the accounts documents and found evidence of VAT evasion," says the statement.
Since January 1 to May 31, 2021, the company had sold products worth Tk 1.81 billion and received Tk 64 million as commission against its receipts.
Under the existing VAT law, the value tax at a rate of 5.0 per cent is applicable to its commission.
Also, it refrained from depositing VAT deducted at Source (VDS) worth Tk 1.9 million with the public exchequer.
The company has admitted the allegation and paid the claimed VAT money to the government.
The intelligence has handed over the issue to the VAT North Zone "for taking legal action and scrutinising any other irregularities".
Recently, e-cab, an association of e-commence businesses, served a show-cause notice to 16 of its members, including Alesha Mart, on detection of several irregularities.
Earlier, Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit in June this year had sought bank-account details of 11 e-commerce merchants, including Alesha.
Quazi Tanzilur Rahman, Head of PR of Alesha Holdings Ltd, said they had paid the demanded VAT honouring the country's law.
"We are always respectful to the country's law," he added.
