The National Board of Revenue has directed banks to provide information of accounts held by the Centre for Policy Dialogue's Distinguished Fellow Debapriya Bhattacharya and his wife in seven days.

The tax authority has also sought information on any stockmarket investment by Bhattacharya and wife Irina Bhattacharya from the Central Depository of Bangladesh Ltd (CDBL). On January 4, the Central Intelligence Cell of the NBR issued separate letters to all banks and the CDBL.

In its letter to the banks, the tax authority sought details of Bhattacharya's individual or joint accounts, having any fixed deposit, savings and loans.

The NBR also asked the banks to provide information on any foreign currency account, credit card or savings instrument held by Bhattacharya and his family.

In the letter to the CDBL, the NBR said the information of any BO account held by Bhattacharya and his family members -- individually or jointly -- must be given. Both the banks and the CDBL will have to provide information since July 1, 2008. In both letters, the NBR threatened banks and the CDBL with fine and prosecution for any delay and failure in furnishing information within the stipulated time.

Contacted Bhattacharya said: "The NBR will do the legally needful things within its mandate. However, this is not a new experience for me." "In 2003, during the then BNP regime, I had to face similar harassments in the context of my critical observation on the state of economy."

The move from the NBR came a day after the CPD, in its review of the country's economy, cautioned that revenue collection might fall short of the target by around Tk 40,000 crore in the current fiscal year.

The CPD also pointed to discrepancy between revenue collection data provided by the NBR and the data from the Finance Division. In fiscal 2014-15, the NBR reported a collection of Tk 136,724 crore, while the amount reported by the Finance Division was Tk 123,959 crore, according to the CPD.

"Such discrepancy has an adverse impact on the quality of fiscal and budgetary policymaking and planning," the think-tank said. The CPD also came under fire from top government functionaries, including Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed, last month when it said Bangladesh has not gained much from the 10th ministerial conference of the World Trade Organisation in Kenya.