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Draft Income Tax Act gets Cabinet nod
The Cabinet approved the draft of the Income Tax Act-2023 in principle, which among other things, curbs the discretionary powers of the income tax officer.
The approval came from the Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her office, said Cabinet Secretary Mahbub Hossain while speaking at a press briefing held at the Secretariat.
Explaining the salient points in the draft, the cabinet secretary said income tax officers cannot fix income tax as per his/her wish and income tax will be determined according to the formula prescribed by law.
One of the decisions of the cabinet was to change all the laws of military rule and the laws that are in English, to bring them up to date. That is why this law has been drafted by the internal resources department, said Mahbub.
Actually, the existing Act in English has been converted into Bangla and simplified with some additions. Besides, some complex and ambiguous languages were scrapped.
Besides, the discretionary power of the income tax officer has been limited in the act.
“There are 348 sections in the act and the business persons can easily submit their income tax returns,” he said.
A mathematical formula has been introduced in the act to assist the tax payers to determine their tax and as per the result of it, the tax payers can pay their taxes, he added.
Through the act, it will help the tax payers to submit their income tax returns online.
Besides, the Cabinet also gave its final approval to the draft of the Agency to Innovate (A2i) Act-2022.
According to the act, an agency will be formed to encourage the innovation of the government in Information Technology sector and it will help to take programme in establishing knowledge based society and its implementation, he said.
The agency will be formed with a 15-member board of directors and the Information and Communication Technology Minister will be the chairman of the board, which will be autonomous, he added.
Besides, the agency will form a policy and will help to create an environment to encourage innovation, he said.
Besides, some 67.78 percent decisions, taken by the Cabinet from October 2022 to December 2022, have been implemented, said Mahbub.
Ninety decisions have been taken in six Cabinet meetings from October 2022 to December 2022 and 61 decisions were implemented while the implementation of the remaining 29 decisions is now underway.
During this period, the Cabinet approved two policies and 11 deals or protocols.
Peacekeeping: BAF readies to replace contingent at MONUSCO
Bangladesh Air Force(BAF) is on the verge of replacing its contingent at the United Nations Mission in Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO).
Chief of Air Staff of the BAF, Air Chief Marshal Shaikh Abdul Hannan briefed the new contingent members to be deployed in Congo at Bangladesh Air Force Base Bashar in the city on Monday, says an Inter Service Public Relation (ISPR) directorate.
While addressing, Chief of Air Staff advised them to discharge their duties with discipline, honesty, professionalism and sincerity to bring good reputation for Bangladesh in general and Bangladesh Air Force in particular.
Read more: UN peacekeeping: Air chief briefs contingent members to be deployed in Mali
Thereafter, he participated in a special munajat arranged for the success of the contingents. Among others Principal Staff Officers, Air Officers of Dhaka area, senior BAF officers of Air Headquarters and Bases were present at the occasion.
Mentionable that, total 252 members of two contingents (Utility Aviation Unit and Air Transport Unit) are proceeding to DR Congo where BAF has deployed 6 X Mi-Series helicopters and 01XC-130B transport aircraft and ground support equipment.
Holy Shab-e-Meraj on February 18
The holy Shab-e-Meraj will be observed in the country on the night of February 18.
The National Moon Sighting Committee took the decision at a meeting held at the Islamic Foundation office at Baitul Mukarram on Monday evening.
On the night of 26th Rajab every year, Muslims observe Shab-e-Meraj when Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) embarked on a special journey to meet Allah.
In the journey, the Prophet travelled on the “Buraq” to Heaven where Allah gave him some instructions to take back to the faithful regarding the details of prayers.
Death of Nadia: Traffic halted for an hour by protests on Airport Road
Vehicular movement on Airport Road remained suspended for one hour on Monday as protestors blocked the road following the death of a university student in a road crash.
Azizul Haque, officer-in-charge of Airport Police Station, said the students of Northern University took to the street around 1:05 pm to press home their four point demand, halting vehicular movement on the road.
Earlier on Sunday, Nadia, 24, a 4th year student of the Pharmacy department of Northern University, died when a Victor Paribahan bus hit the motorcycle she was on near Jamuna Future Park in the city.
The demands of the students are cancellation of the route permit of Victor Paribahan Classic; to provide compensation to the family members of Nadia; provide adequate evidence of arresting the driver and helper of the killer bus, and construction of a safe bus stoppage in Kawla area.
Also Read: Northern University student killed in road crash
A long tailback has been created from Airport to Khilkhet area which spread to Mohakhali, Badda, and Gulshan areas, following the road blockade, OC Haque said.
On information, police rushed to the spot and assured the students of meeting their demands.
Traffic on the road returned to normal around 2pm.
Quoting witnesses, police said Nadia, riding on friend Mehedi’s motorcycle, was going to Narda area at noon. When the motorcycle reached near Jamuna Future Park area, a bus of Victor Paribahan hit the motorcycle at around 12:45 pm.
Nadia fell on the street and died on the spot, while her friend Mehedi received minor injuries, said OC of Bhatara police station ABM Asaduzzaman.
PM unveils new book on Bangabandhu and his government
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday unveiled a book written focusing on the government of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and its basic outlines of building a new Bangladesh.
PM's Principal Secretary M Tofazzel Hosaain Miah composed the book titled "Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman-er Sarkar: Desh Nirmane Moulik Ruprekha.'
The PM unwrapped the book at her office, said PM's Deputy Press Secretary Hasan Jahid Tusher.
ReadPM unveils book on Bangamata more:
The book highlighted a total of 47 issues related to the management of Bangabandhu's government, including the administration system, cabinet, budget, economy, foreign policy, planning, defence, infrastructure and communication, women's development, trade policy, legislation, civil service, education and human resources.
Sheikh Hasina wrote the preface of the book published by Pathak Shamabesh.
The book reflected the way Bangabandhu wanted to build Bangladesh, which would be research and guiding documents for the researchers, thinkers, economists, policy makers and political leaders who want to realize Bangabandhu's dream of building a Golden Bengal.
The book will be available at Pathak Shamabesh, Kataban, Dhaka.
Read more: PM unveils book on Bangabandhu
Covid-19: 12 more cases reported in 24 hours
Bangladesh reported 12 more Covid-19 cases in 24 hours till Monday morning.
With the new number, the country's total caseload rose to 2,037,456, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
However, the official death toll from the disease remained unchanged at 29,441 as no new fatalities were reported.
Read: Bangladesh reports 15 more dengue cases
The daily case test positivity increased to 0.56 percent from Sunday’s 0.41 percent as 2,138 samples were tested.
The mortality rate remained unchanged at 1.44 percent while the recovery rate rose to 97.73 percent.
CEC meets Speaker Tuesday to discuss presidential election
A meeting about holding the 22nd presidential election between Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury and Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal will be held on Tuesday.
Election Commissioner Anisur Rahman said on Monday that the CEC on Sunday sought an appointment from the Speaker for the meeting.
The Election Commission Secretariat also contacted the Parliament Secretariat on the same day.
There will be no need to summon a Parliament session for the election as per law. Rather, a meeting will be called by the CEC for electing the President by Members of Parliament. The CEC will preside over that meeting.
If there is only one candidate such a meeting is not required.
Officials said that the detailed schedule of the presidential election will be discussed in the CEC's meeting with the Speaker.
The Election Commission will declare a single candidate as the winner as per law.
According to the law, elections should be held within 90 days of the end of the term of a President.
On Apr 24, 2013, Abdul Hamid was sworn in as the 20th President of Bangladesh.
Hamid is the only President who has been serving for two consecutive terms. His second and last tenure will expire on April 24 this year.
Hamid cannot be elected president for another term as the country’s constitution allows a maximum of two terms for a person in the post of president.
Bangladesh reports 15 more dengue cases
Fifteen more people were hospitalized with dengue in 24 hours till Monday morning.
Of the new patients, six were admitted to hospitals in Dhaka and nine outside it, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
A total of 53 dengue patients, including 27 in the capital, are now receiving treatment at hospitals across the country.
So far, the DGHS has recorded 489 dengue cases, 430 recoveries, and six deaths this year.
The country recorded 281 dengue deaths in 2022 – the highest on record after 179 deaths recorded in 2019.
Also, the DGHS recorded 62,423 dengue cases and 61,971 recoveries last year.
Court orders PBI to investigate case against journalist Rozina
A Dhaka court today asked the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) to probe the case against Prothom Alo journalist Rozina Islam for attempting to “illegally collect sensitive government documents and taking photos of them.”
Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Muhammad Tofazzal Hossain passed the order after accepting the no-confidence petition filed by deputy secretary to the Health Services Division of the health ministry.
The court also fixed February 28 for the next hearing.
Rozina, who is now out on bail, was present before the court, said her lawyer Prashanto Karmakar.
Also read: Hearing on DB report in journalist Rozina's case deferred to Jan 15
On October 11, last year, Detective Branch submitted the final report seeking exemption of Rozina from the charges.
Rozina, known for her reports on the health sector, was held at the Secretariat for over five hours before being handed over to police on May 17, 2021.
She allegedly clicked photos of documents related to government negotiation to buy Covid-19 vaccines, according to the case documents.
An FIR was filed against Rozina under the Official Secrets Act and sections 379 and 411 of the Penal Code.
On May 18, 2021, a Dhaka court sent Rozina to jail after rejecting the police’s demand for her five-day remand. Rozina was taken to Kashimpur Central Women's Jail on that day.
On May 23, 2021, she walked out of Kashimpur Women's Central Jail after securing interim bail from a Dhaka court.
Mild cold wave sweeps 4 districts, minimum temperature up slightly
Bangladesh recorded a slight improvement in minimum temperature in 24 hours till 6 am today (Monday), though a mild cold wave is sweeping four districts of the country.
The country’s lowest temperature was recorded at 8.2 degree Celsius at Tetulia in 24 hours till 6 am today. The highest temperature was recorded at 30.1 degree Celsius in Chattogram during this period, according to Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD).
Read more: Mild to moderate cold wave may persist for 2/3 days more: Met Office
A mild cold wave is sweeping Nilphamari, Kurigram, Panchagarh and Moulvibazar districts and it may abate, it added.
Moderate to thick fog may occur at places over the river basins, and light to moderate fog may occur at other places in the country during late night till morning.
Weather may remain dry with temporary partly cloudy skies over the country. Night and day temperatures may rise slightly in the country.
Read more: Temperature up slightly, lowest recorded at 8 degree C in Tetulia, Srimangal