Krishak Sramik Janata League President Bangabir Kader Siddique said the way Grameen Telecom Chairman and Nobel Laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus is being harassed in a tax evasion case will not be good for the country.
“Dr Yunus is an asset to Bangladesh. Bangladesh will be regarded much higher in the world if you show him state honour,” he said at a meeting at the Tangail Press Club on Sunday.
If the government could harness the potential of Dr Yunus for the betterment of the country, it could potentially mitigate the hostile behavior from major countries, including the US, Kader Siddique said.
He added that if Dr Yunus donated his money to a philanthropic trust, that money would not be taxed.
On Friday, the think tank Yunus Centre released a rejoinder to news articles about Nobel laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus' tax payments.
Dhaka TribuneThe organization said: “His main sources of income are honorariums for his lectures, money earned from the sale of his authored books and prize monies. All the money earned by him abroad is brought through proper banking channels. The tax authority remains fully informed of the matter as all sources of his money and income are presented in his tax returns.”
The High Court on May 31 ordered Nobel Laureate Prof Muhammad Yunus to pay over Tk12 crore to the National Board of Revenue (NBR) in cases filed in connection with evading taxes during the years 2011 to 2013.
The High Court bench of Justice Muhammad Khurshid Alam Sarkar and Justice Sardar Md Rashed Jahangir delivered the verdict.
The court also dismissed three separate petitions filed by Dr Yunus challenging the tax liability imposed by the NBR on the money he had gifted to his three charitable trusts.
The court said Dr Yunus's tax evasion charges have been proved in three cases.
