Comilla Matri Bhandar has shown sales of only Tk7 lakh from January 1 to January 16.
However, in the presence of the VAT Intelligence team, around Tk3 lakh has been sold in that branch of the shop in just a day.
Meanwhile, another team of VAT intelligence found out that none of the shops in two Comilla markets has VAT registration.
VAT intelligence team also found a similarly frustrating picture of VAT registration and VAT payment by traders and businesses in Comilla during the raid.
According to VAT intelligence, the team raided Matri Bhandar at Kandirpar of Comilla when they saw a huge number of customers at the sweet shop but they give chalans for only 20-22 sales.
The VAT intelligence officials observed the sales in Matri Bhandar from 11am till 7pm.
During their presence, the shop was forced to give 318 chalans in a single day, which had a sale price of Tk2.96 lakh.
The team also raided the Comilla branch of Bonoful and Co and Kiswan Snacks. The intelligence team seized the VAT-related documents from them based on which cases will be filed.
This picture of VAT evasion became even more prevalent when operations were conducted in two markets in Comilla.
The two markets are Planet SR Market at Kandirpar and Mainamati Super Market in front of the Comilla Cantonment.
It was found at the Planet SR Market that there are 80 shops, of which 56 were open during the visit. The intelligence team found no VAT registration, although the market started operation on December 16 of 2020.
On the other hand, in the Mainamati market on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway, which has been operating for a long time, there are 120 shops, of which 64 were open during the raid. None of the shops had VAT registration.
The raid was conducted by Munawar Mursalin and Alamgir Hossain, deputy directors of Comilla VAT intelligence.
The NBR said that they asked the Comilla VAT Commissionerate to take legal action in this regard.
Speaking to the Dhaka Tribune earlier, NBR chairman Abu Hena Md Rahmatul said: "We want to stop the cat and mouse game between tax evaders and revenue collectors. We want businesspersons and the general people to voluntarily pay their taxes. Hopefully, if VAT's electronic fiscal device (EFD) can be installed at all the establishments, it will be possible to solve a lot of these issues."
But such a picture is not new in the capital and outside the capital. A survey conducted by VAT detectives in July last year revealed such information, said by an NBR official.
Asked about the raids outside the capital, the official said: “Even if the shops in the capital evade VAT, they have VAT registration. But this picture of Comilla is completely opposite and frustrating. There is no VAT registration of shops here.”
A survey by the National Board of Revenue (NBR) has shown that 60% of shops in the capital do not pay their taxes.
According to the survey conducted by the VAT Intelligence Department from May 24 to 31, 2021, a total of 2,133 shops were visited in Dhaka and its outskirts, and only 482 were found to have registered business identification numbers (BIN).
This means that the remaining 1,651 establishments did not pay their taxes, which is a whopping 77.36%.
This also implies that even if they took value-added tax (VAT) from customers, it was not deposited in the state coffers.
Meanwhile, 428 out of 1,064 shops from eight upscale shopping malls in the capital paid taxes, which is 40% of the capital's total shops, leaving 60% out of the tax net.