Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury has said the government is working to establish a fair, effective and business-friendly tax system by ensuring a comfortable and harassment-free environment for taxpayers.

He said the government would not introduce any tax or revenue collection measure that creates obstacles to business operations or disrupts normal business activities.

The minister made the remarks while responding to journalists after a meeting with officials of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) and representatives of the business community at the NBR office in Agargaon, Dhaka, on Tuesday.

Asked about restoring the system of filing VAT returns every two months instead of monthly, Amir Khosru said discussions were underway with stakeholders on various revenue-related issues. The meeting also discussed ways to resolve pending tax cases and other issues faced by taxpayers quickly.

“ Our goal is to establish a fair and effective tax system through discussions with taxpayers,” he said.

Regarding complications surrounding July revenue collection and VAT returns for three consecutive months, the finance minister said a decision would be taken quickly after discussions.

Addressing the business community, he assured that no obstacles would be created in their commercial activities. He said no tax or revenue collection process would be imposed that could hamper their regular business operations.

Amir Khosru said the country’s economy depends significantly on taxes paid by businesses. Therefore, ensuring fair opportunities and facilities for businesses and collecting revenue in a harassment-free environment are among the government’s key objectives.

Meanwhile, when asked about a 22% decline in VAT collection during the first two months of the current fiscal year, the minister did not give a direct answer.