A wide discussion has started on social media over allegations that freelancers and content creators are being taxed at source at a rate of 7.5% on their foreign income or remittances.
However, the National Board of Revenue (NBR) says that there is no provision for such tax deduction on freelancers' or expatriate income.
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman recently assured a content creator that the proposed 7.5% tax would not be imposed on the income of freelancers or content creators. But despite this, there are complaints that many people are being charged money from their bank accounts at that rate.
NCP chief organizer for northern region Sarjis Alam published a screenshot on his Facebook profile of a bank transaction, where it can be seen that after a customer deposited Tk23,150.79 as 'Inward Commercial Remittance', Tk1,736.31 was deducted under the heading 'Debit Tax Deduction at Source', which is about 7.5% of the total amount.
In the post, Alam also said that imposing such a tax on those who are struggling to earn a living through freelancing or content creation is not acceptable. However, he also opined that the issue of imposing taxes in stages can be considered in cases of high income.
Contacted, NBR chairman Md Abdur Rahman Khan said: "There is no provision for tax deduction on remittances of freelancers and expatriates. This information is completely wrong."
Bangladesh Bank spokesperson and executive director Arif Hossain Khan said: “The National Board of Revenue decides on tax-related matters. Only the NBR can speak better on this issue. I have never heard of any directive to deduct such tax on freelancers or remittance income.”
Earlier, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman assured that the proposed 7.5% tax would not be imposed on the income of freelancers and content creators in the country. He expressed a positive position on this issue in a meeting with Jewel Rana, founder and content creator of popular Facebook page “Chitta Media” at the Secretariat on June 1.
Speaking to the media after the meeting, Jewel Rana said that when he directly asked the Prime Minister about the rumors of imposing a 7.5% tax on freelancers and content creators, the Prime Minister instructed the concerned officials to look into the matter and gave his opinion not to impose such a tax.
However, no official notification or instruction has been issued by the government or the relevant authorities regarding Jewel Rana's statement so far.
Meanwhile, freelancers and content creators have demanded a quick official explanation from the government to verify the authenticity of the screenshots and allegations of tax deductions circulating on social media and to clear up confusion on the matter.