The SME Foundation started training the country's small and medium entrepreneurs on tax and value added tax for free to help them run businesses properly, officials said.

The state-run agency responsible for promoting SMEs across the country has taken steps to organise workshops in four divisional cities in the upcoming fiscal year of 2012-13.

Under the programme, a three-day training workshop to provide training to 40 SME entrepreneurs from Dhaka region began on Tuesday at the office of the foundation in Dhaka, said an official of the agency.

At the workshop, the participants got detailed ideas on topics tax and VAT laws, the loading and unloading system of imported and exported goods, and VAT registration and tax identification certificates.

Syed Rezwanul Kabir, chief executive officer of the SME Foundation, presided over the inaugurating ceremony. Farid Uddin, a member of the National Board of Revenue, and Mohammad Shahab Uddin, a former member of the NBR, were also present.

Forty entrepreneurs from Chittagong region already received training on tax and VAT related issues.

The foundation will organise the same workshop in Khulna and Rajshahi later.

The Daily Star/ Bangladesh/ 24-May-2012