BANGLADESH: Illegal activities under legal cover

Presently there are 20 plus private television channels in Bangladesh, while a few more TV channels will commence broadcast soon. This figure is really huge for a country like Bangladesh, which is no bigger than the geographical area of West Bengal in India or Iowa in United States.

by Mehnab Khan

(November 17, Dhaka, Sri Lanka Guardian) Up to 1997, Bangladeshi television viewers were rather forced to watch just one television channel run by the state – Bangladesh Television (BTV). Taking such advantage of monopoly, BTV was continuing to serve the purpose of every ruling government and regime; though people of Bangladesh were compensating this state-run TV channel with billions of Taka through licensing fee as well it was getting advertisement worth a few hundred million Takas every year.

Indian government opened its sky in 1992, when satellite based television channels like Zee TV came into operation. In the entire sub-continent, India was the only country to have its private television channel in addition to state controlled Dur Darshan.

Private television industry started emerging in Bangladesh in 1998, when country’s first private television channel A-21 TV came into operation using an analog transponder with Thaicom-3 satellite. Later, Indian owned ATN channel turned into a Bangladeshi channel with the new name and title as ATN-Bangla. Promising entrepreneur Dr. Mahfuzur Rahman initiated this channel. With the emergence of ATN-Bangla, the beginning of huge growth of private television channels in the country started in full swing. Others who joined the race are Ekushey TV (the only terrestrial based private television channel in Bangladesh, TEN TV (later named as NTV), Channel I (owned by TV personality Faridur Reza Shagor and Shaikh Siraj), RTV (owned by political secretary to the Prime Minister), Channel One (owned by a number of corrupt ‘businessman’ having affiliations with Hawa Bhaban), Diganta TV (owned by a leader of Jamaat-e-Islami), Bangla Vision (owned by a leader of Bangladesh Nationalist Party), Boishakhi TV (owned by a leader of Bangladesh Nationalist Party) and Islamic Television (owned by younger brother of the then Prime Minister).

When Awami League formed government in 2009, a number of broadcast licenses were issued to few more TV channels. These are, MY TV (owned by an activist of Awami League), Desh TV (owned by Saber Hussain Chowdhury, a leader of Bangladesh Awami Lague), Mohona TV (owned by an MP of Bangladesh Awami League), Masranga TV (owned by a former advisor of the military controlled interim government), Channel 71 (owned by Awami League leaders), Somoy TV (owned by leaders of Bangladesh Awami League), Independent TV (owned by a policymaker of Bangladesh Awami League) and Bijoy TV (owned by leaders of Bangladesh Awami League).

It is important to note that for past few years, no broadcast license was ever issued to any non-partisan candidates in the country, for reason well understood. None of the political parties aspire to see any private television channel in the country, which would go for accurate news coverage or in other words, telling the truth to the viewers. Needless to mention that, most of these TV channels are mere mouthpiece of the respective political parties.

Presently there are 20 plus private television channels in Bangladesh, while a few more TV channels will commence broadcast soon. This figure is really huge for a country like Bangladesh, which is no bigger than the geographical area of West Bengal in India or Iowa in United States. And of course, this is the point of huge concern for those program directors and especially producers, who are involving their skill and money in making programs for these private television channels. According to press reports, most of these private TV channels owe millions to Takas to the program makers in the country. Owners of the TV channels have greatly failed in even giving any specific schedule of payment to the makers. On the other hand, advertisement revenue from the local market is not enough even to feed more than 7 private channels, while 20 plus channels will stand as potential burden for the advertisers in the country. It is anticipated that many of the TV channels with political might may flex muscles in extracting advertisements from the entrepreneurs in future, if not doing it already.

But, the most important point here, which needs to be addressed by the Bangladesh Bank and the ministries concerned is, each of the private television channels are paying at least US$ 25,000 per month as rental of satellite transponders. In this case, an amount of US$ 500,000 plus is going abroad to various satellite operators in the world, as rental for the transponders. On the other hand, several TV channels, such as Channel I, ATN-Bangla, NTV, Diganta, Ekushey TV etc are using multiple satellites and fiber optic highways for spreading its signals to various continents in the world, with the aim of getting more viewers. According to Bangladesh Bank, none of the private television channels ever approached them for any permission for regular remittance of such huge amount of foreign currency for paying satellite transponder rentals. Bangladesh government is also running a satellite based channel named BTV-World, from which they will come to verify the figure and fact about monthly rental of satellite transponders.

On the other hand, all the private television channels are required to pay 15% of its total advertisement revenue as Value Added tax to the National exchequer. According to latest statistics, the pending amounts of VAT of the private television channels are:

ATN-Bangla: TK. 98.55 crore
Channel I: TK. 117.43 crore
NTV: TK. 41.76 crore
RTV: TK. 29.92 crore
Boishakhi: TK. 23.30 crore
Bangla Vision: TK. 19.54 crore
Islamic TV: TK. 3.11 crore
Diganta TV: TK. 4.07 crore
MY TV: 6.16 crore
Desh TV: TK. 5.43 crore

Departments concerned confirmed that, none of the private television channels are paying the amount of VAT, which is mandatory on all.

Immediate investigation into the matter of payment of VAT by the private television channels as well as legal actions for illegally transferring huge amount of foreign currency every year in paying the rental of satellite transponders should be initiated by the government for the sake of transparency in this sector.

Mehnab Khan is a free lance columnist writing on regional and international issues.

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