The government approved on Wednesday a proposal in principle for appointing service providing vendors for supplying, using Electronic Fiscal Devices (EFDs) and collecting information on realized VAT at retail level in a bid to boost revenue collection.

The approval came from the 19th meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) this year held today virtually with Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal in the chair.

Briefing reporters after the meeting virtually, Cabinet Division additional secretary Md Abdul Barik said that the meeting approved a total of two proposals.

He informed that the appointed vendors will collect VAT related information and thus convey those to the National Board of Revenue (NBR).

“The vendors will conduct the work of service outsourcing,” he said.

Barik informed that an agreement would be signed between the NBR and the vendors under which the vendors would receive service charge for rendering their service.

He said that some 3 lakh Electronic Fiscal Devices (EFDs) would be installed and distributed at Dhaka metropolitan, outside Dhaka and Chattogram region for collecting VAT.

The Cabinet Division additional secretary said that the vendors would be selected through tender and once appointed they would impart training to the businessmen at the retail level and thus motivate them to use the EFDs.

The day’s CCEA meeting also approved a proposal in principle from the Local Government Division for the project for water supply after treating it from the River Meghna on PPP and G to G basis at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Industrial Estate to be implemented by Chattogram WASA.