Messy revelation about Robi
The news that the mobile operator Robi s accounts have revealed glaring aberrations has jolted the nation. Reportedly, in the last 18 years, the operator has evaded taxes to the staggering amount of nearly Taka 1500 crore. According to a draft audit report, submitted to the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission, BTRC, irregularities involve unlawful usage of extra spectrum, intentionally reducing the actual number of subscribers plus concealing the sales of handsets to avoid paying tax and VAT. These are serious allegations and stand to dent the reputation of the mobile company.
This revelation, also confirmed by BTRC, sends a shockwave through the mobile industry, raising questions as to what sort of transparency exists in the overall working of all operators.
Mobile operators are not above the law. The authorities concerned must keep the supreme interest of the people in mind and anyone found guilty under the law would have to face consequences. A mechanism should be in place so that the companies concerned are forced to co-operate with government investigation apparatus.
Taking the discrepancies into consideration, we feel that the issue of accountability has become a major concern for the telecom operators in general. In this latest incident, the charges are very grave, clearly indicating that the large-scale tax dodging was orchestrated in a cleverly devised scheme.
However, Robi is a telecom brand which is used by millions and keeping this, plus their corporate social responsibility related work in mind, the company should be allowed to set the records straight by paying the specified amount over a period of time set by the draft audit report.
We also feel that this finding shows that in the realm of telecom/IT there are shadow areas of which people are unaware, just like the VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) scam that hoodwinked the government and the masses in the initial days. On a related note we believe quality monitoring and enforcement, when it comes to the service provided by the mobile operators, is much needed in Bangladesh.
Of course, Robi should be given the chance to answer to the allegations and the best course would be to issue a clear statement so that there can be no room for confusion. In addition, the masterminds who were behind the evading of the taxes need to be identified. The recent findings should work as a warning for all other operators making them more alert about pursuing a policy of clarity in all financial matters.
