New IDs coming for holding taxes

The government has adopted a plan to attach a unique index number to the holding numbers of all city corporations to ensure civic amenities, collect tax and check tax dodging, LGRD Minister Khandker Mosharraf Hossain told the parliament yesterday.

The minister informed the House that tenders have already been floated to bring the accounts and revenue-related activities of seven city corporations -- Dhaka North, Dhaka South, Chittagong, Rajshahi, Khulna, Barisal and Sylhet under the Urban Public and Environmental Health Sector Development Project of the Local Government Division.

Replying to lawmakers' queries, Mosharraf said the government would increase the number of beneficiaries under the "One House, One Farm" project as the second phase of the project would be launched in the next fiscal year. He informed the parliament that a survey is being conducted to include all beggars and poor families of the country in the project in an effort to turn Bangladesh into a hunger- and poverty-free mid-income country by 2021.

The current capital of this poor beneficiaries now stands at Tk 2661 crore, including their own savings Tk 886 crore and government donation of Tk 1,658 crore.  Out of this, members of the Samities through "Uthan Boithak" have so far invested around Tk 2,449 crore.